The sense of urgency created by the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred medical establishments to overhaul their healthcare delivery systems in pursuit of maximising patient care and minimising the risk of infection.

The report by Practo and TSI, launched at Telemedicon 2020, has attempted to recapitulate the key factors contributing to this spike and its long-term benefits. 

Commenting on the report, Col (Dr) Ashvini Goel, President, Telemedicine Society of India (TSI), said, “In a short span of time, the digital health space has evolved and online consultations have become the spine of healthcare delivery systems globally.”

Adding to that, Shashank ND, CEO & Co-Founder, Practo, said, “Our aim with this report is to ignite meaningful discussions around telemedicine as a critical first step towards establishing more collaborations among stakeholders, tied by a common commitment to one industry.”

Key insights from the report: 

• Physical appointments went down by 32%
• Visits to secondary care specialists like neurosurgeon, somnologist, cardiologist, and oncologist grew dramatically
• 26% of the consultations were with GPs, followed by Dermatology (20%) and Gynaecology (16%) and others like Gastroenterology, ENT, and Paediatrics stood at 7% each
• During the same period last year, the split between metro:non-metro for online consultations stood at 75:25. This year, it is 60:40
• Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Kolkata grew by more than 300% as compared to last year
• There was a 502% spike in online consultations from people above the age of 50 during this crisis, who contributed to 12% of overall consultations.
• Last year the men:women ratio stood at 75:25, while this year it’s 68:32
• Gynaecologists and General Physicians were two of the most consulted specialists by women in 2020
• There was a 302% increase in overall mental health-related queries
• Women contributed to 33% of overall queries for mental health specialists