2024 – What’s the current state of telemedicine in Switzerland? The opinion of healthcare professionals and patients

Telemedicine experienced a boom in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic. Before that, telemedicine was barely present in Switzerland, but in order to avoid contact as much as possible, this solution quickly caught on. Almost four years later, it’s time to look at the long-term effects. Is telemedicine still on the rise? What is important for patients when it comes to video consultations? Find out in this article.

What is the situation regarding the introduction of telemedicine in Switzerland? – Telemedicine in 2024

To try to understand where telemedicine will be in 2024, we can look at the study by Mazouri-Karker et al. published in JMIR Human Factors. In this study, professionals and patients in the Geneva region are asked about their use of telemedicine solutions.

While face-to-face consultations are still preferred by professionals and patients, COVID-19 has influenced the use of telemedicine tools. Whether synchronous (phone or video) or asynchronous (email or SMS), remote consultations seem to continue to gain popularity in 2024.

The benefits of video consultations from the perspective of healthcare professionals

According to the study, video consultations are well received by healthcare professionals for consultations that do not require a physical examination. In particular, the Swiss healthcare professionals surveyed emphasized that this method of teleconsultation gives their patients better access to healthcare. This is also the opinion of Dr. Jean Gabriel Jeannot and Maurine Stohr, two enthusiastic users of this solution.

Compared to the telephone, the video consultation enables a visual assessment of the patient. Non-verbal communication can also be taken into account by the specialist. The result is fewer medication errors.

Is the video consultation appreciated by patients?

Patients respond positively to this type of treatment, especially when it comes to everyday health problems. Despite the increasing prevalence of video consultations in recent years, the telephone is still preferred for remote consultations.

The main reason given here is that video consultation is less safe than the telephone. This is a misconception, security mainly depends on the solution used for the phone or video consultation.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating: Professionals and patients in Switzerland are convinced by video consultations.

The study by Mazouri-Karker et al. shows that telemedicine solutions such as video consultations are appreciated by both healthcare professionals and their patients.

According to the study, a decisive criterion for the acceptance of these solutions is prior familiarity with their use. This is because video consultations are more likely to be recommended if the solution has already been tried and tested.

This trend indicates that this new approach to healthcare will be even more widely accepted in the future. Health insurers have already recognized this development and are offering Swiss patients who opt for a video consultation favourable rates. This is a sign that telemedicine is becoming an increasingly important treatment option in Switzerland.