Why remote access software is a must in healthcare

Healthcare in 2021 is more challenging, yet more rewarding, than ever before. While many countries see decreased rates of COVID-19 following mass vaccinations, social distancing protocols continue in many parts of the world. Even after more than a year of pandemic conditions, many hospitals are still grappling with how best to effectively digitize their operations through tools like remote access software.

Oftentimes, pressure falls on the individual hospital admin, or team of admins, to make important decisions for a healthcare organization. If this is you, or related to your work, you might be wondering how to move forward. Thankfully, there are a few pieces of software you should prioritize first. Chief among them is remote access software.

If you take the time to understand what remote access software is and does, you will be in a great position to bring your healthcare organization into the modern age.

What is Remote Access Software?

Remote access software allows someone to remotely access a device’s interface. It can be standalone, or this feature can be included among many other features in a particular software offering.

This kind of software can catalyze faster tech support repairs. After all, it’s very convenient to be able to see the screen of an employee’s device and make changes accordingly at any time. In the context of modern healthcare and Healthcare 4.0, especially, this is vital.

Let’s look at a few contexts in which remote access software is especially important in healthcare. By reviewing them, you’ll see why this kind of software is so important, and why you should consider using it as soon as you are able.

Major Use Cases in Healthcare for Remote Access Software

Maintaining and Repairing Standalone Kiosks

It’s far from guaranteed that a medical kiosk will be anywhere near a hospital these days. In fact, a major selling point of many medical kiosks, such as kiosks by Amwell, is that they can fully replace in-person medical visits in most cases.

Rural communities can especially benefit from these kinds of kiosks. That said, their remote location means that sending anyone to troubleshoot them will be hard and costly. Remote access software provides another way to keep devices running smoothly. No matter where admins might be, remote access makes troubleshooting happen faster and cheaper.

Ensuring Elderly Patients Can Use Devices

Oftentimes, remote health monitoring requires the patient to use a smartphone or similar technology in the home. Unfortunately, the individuals who require this kind of technology the most are often elderly, and unlikely to be tech-savvy. While simple medical alert systems can help to signal issues, it’s a major constraint on someone’s quality-of-life if they cannot operate more complex health-monitoring tools.

This is where remote access software can have a major positive impact. Elderly individuals can ask for help if there is an issue, and hospital staff can remotely access devices to get them working again quickly. This helps patients to use more complicated devices even if they have poor tech literacy.

Collaborating in Conditions Where In-Person Contact is Dangerous

While healthcare organizations are often used to logistical challenges, COVID-19 introduced greater obstacles than ever before. Meeting in-person can be dangerous. What was once a simple device handoff becomes a major challenge no one wants to experience.

Thanks to remote access software, IT admins or healthcare staff can access the information they need on a given device remotely. This bypasses potential contagion issues. Plus, this may simply be a faster way to obtain information than meeting with someone in-person.

Conclusion

No matter where you live, or what role you play in healthcare, you can derive some value from remote access software. Repairs become easier, non-tech-savvy users can build the skills they need more quickly, and social distancing becomes more feasible.

Of course, the first step towards using this kind of software is conducting a proof-of-concept. While there are many options for remote access software on the market, 42Gears offers a unique Welcome Team to help you through the initial stages of setting up remote access. You can access 42Gears’ remote access software and the expertise of the Welcome Team for free today.