Healthcare Market Driving Video Conferencing in Europe

The rising popularity of video conferencing in healthcare is creating short and long-term opportunities for conferencing service providers (CSPs) to deliver both the required infrastructure and endpoints. These are the latest findings of Frost & Sullivan (Frost; London, United Kingdom), an international market research firm.

The rising incidence of chronic diseases, an aging population, and budgetary constraints on healthcare organizations in Europe have combined to generate demand for solutions that simultaneously enhance care and reduce costs. As a result, video conferencing offered as a service could offer the convenience of receiving treatment from the patients home, a major benefit to the elderly, disabled, those suffering from chronic conditions, as well as for rural dwellers. Video conferencing can also facilitate postdischarge programs, specialist consultations, and physician collaboration and training.

The improved quality of video technology, demographic changes in Europe, and demand for cost effective solutions are driving uptake. However, challenges surrounding deployment of services and security exist. And although the cost associated with video conferencing services is decreasing, investment in new systems is still an issue for budget-conscious healthcare organizations. Concerns about the security and privacy of patient's data and ensuring that only those with the correct authority can access content is a vitally important consideration as services advance and more data is collected.

“Mobile enablement is becoming a key factor for end users. With mobile use by both patients and healthcare professionals expected to increase in 2014 and beyond, delivering services on mobile platforms will be a key factor in sustaining adoption,” said Frost & Sullivan Information and Communication Technologies research analyst Mark Hickey. “A number of successful pilot programs and early stage roll-outs are expected to keep the adoption rates of video conferencing services high.”

Several challenges still face technology adoption, such as different regulatory environments across Europe, presenting additional challenges in terms of service roll out. Business models used to deliver telemedicine solutions also vary widely. Hence, the role of different stakeholders in each healthcare system is an important consideration when vendors choose a business model to distribute their services.

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