Technology is closing the gap between mental health patients and quality service providers with a creative approach to engagement and treatment.
FREMONT, CA: Development in mental healthcare has been long-awaited. With advancing technologies and network capabilities, there has been an emergence of innovative mental healthcare solutions. Healthcare organizations are mustering all the right resources to create better systems that ensure improved experiences for patients requiring medical assistance for mental health. There always has been a gap between service demand and delivery. However, with the togetherness of various factors like superior network architecture, deeper penetration of smartphone and useful applications backed by artificial intelligence, one can expect rapid growth of adequate mental healthcare facilities, many of which will be on online platforms.
Mental health startups are launching websites that cater to a range of psychiatric conditions. These healthcare facilities employ the latest technologies and tools, along with getting expert therapists to work with them. The therapists are available through the online platform, and any patient who registers is subsequently assigned to one of the certified professionals. Even before the doctors and therapists take over, the platforms engage patients through numerous questionnaires that collect essential health-related data, which is crucial in later stages of treatment. Unlike in the case of physical facilities, these facilities have a maximum waiting time of around a week. Geographical location also ceases to be a barrier.
The challenges that the traditional healthcare industry faces in dealing with mental health conditions include long waiting time, the unsatisfactory engagement between patients and therapists, and inaccessibility. While some of the existing mental health treatment involves months of waiting time, patients often end up with negative results. Deploying technology can help solve many of these issues to a reasonable extent. Just like every other service have now made their way into personal smart devices, mental healthcare is also turning virtual and accommodating itself within smartphones. Many mental health startups have devised apps that provide extensive care for patients throughout their journey, right from diagnosis to treatment. Many other services are web-based. Just like telemedicine is picking up the pace and making general healthcare better, these creative ways of providing mental healthcare are also changing many aspects of treatment. Algorithms are making medical attention convenient, cost-effective, and targeted.
Companies provide counseling services for mentally challenged patients free of cost and in an anonymous and text-based way where patients interact with counselors at their convenience without having to divulge identity details. There might be apprehensions regarding the effectiveness of sessions conducted on virtual medium. However, the results allay all the fears as they suggest that the efficacy of online therapy is at par with actual sessions. The big network of therapists on online platforms ensures that no needy patient goes unattended.
Besides, mental healthcare service providers have reported generating positive clinical outcomes of around 60 percent while the traditional, face-to-face services have a figure of around 50 percent. Most of these digital mental healthcare platforms offer extremely streamlined services that create optimized assessment and treatment possible. Data-driven innovations and artificial intelligence engines behind them guide patients through excellent screening, enable accurate diagnosis, and propagate meaningful treatment experiences. The use of artificial intelligence is helping incorporate automation into the flow. Picking the right therapist for a specific individual becomes simpler when AI lends its data-related intelligence to the platforms.
With clinical effectiveness, customized handling, and well-documented sessions, modern mental healthcare is in a position to provide fruitful service to patients.
