Is Telemedicine an answer to Physician Burnout and Staffing Shortages?

With the huge initial swell in the use of virtual care in the rearview mirror, many industry experts – from health plans to big tech and practicing clinicians – are considering whether a doubling down on telehealth is just what the doctor ordered for the future of patient care. On this note, Healthcare IT News interviewed Dr. Pooja Aysola, a practicing emergency department clinician in Boston and senior director of clinical operations at Wheel, a virtual care company. She talks about physicians' newfound familiarity with telehealth and what it means for the future, the possibility of physicians working full time in telemedicine, and how virtual care can help with staffing shortages in healthcare. With the massive uptake in telemedicine during the past two years of the pandemic, clinicians have grown accustomed to delivering care virtually. Two in three clinicians now say treating patients in virtual only or hybrid care settings best fits their lifestyle, despite a significant lack of interest in telehealth before the pandemic. If we're moving toward a hybrid care model, then we should enable clinicians to adopt hybrid careers, if that's what works best for them. Recent data shows more than half of clinicians have lost passion for their careers because of stress – and close to half believe burnout is the biggest threat to patient care today. But now, many clinicians are considering working in virtual care to help combat burnout and increase flexibility. I've seen firsthand the impact shortages are having on clinician burnout and patient care. Ensuring clinicians feel encouraged to explore careers in virtual care, if that's what works best for them, is one of many steps to take. Another way for telehealth to help address staffing shortages is by powering the transition to what we call "virtual-first care." With virtual-first care, patients can start their care journey with telemedicine.