Virtual video visits are predicted to account for 5% of all visits to doctors globally this year, up from an estimated 1% in 2019.
That is according to the latest Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report from Deloitte which looks at how trends in TMT may affect businesses and consumers worldwide and in Ireland in the coming year.
One impact of the pandemic has been an embracing of telemedicine in all its forms, including video-based clinical consultations.
In many cases, it was seen as a necessary measure to protect public health.
Even single-digit growth in this area is significant with 8.5 billion doctor's visits, worth a total of approximately $500 billion, taking place in the 36 countries of the OECD in 2019 alone.
A survey conducted in March of last year for the Irish Medical Council suggested that only 4% of the population had ever used telemedicine, including video, telephone, websites and apps delivered by a registered medical practitioner.
A similar survey carried out in October 2020 saw that figure increasing five-fold to 21%.
Video still only makes up around a third of those interactions, although that is expected to grow even further as consumers access more video services from their health insurance companies among other providers.
Some post-surgery and step down care is provided through hi-tech healthcare apps which allows a clinician to monitor the progress of a patient while cutting down on the need for follow up visits.
"Notwithstanding the challenges in moving from the traditional face to face model, everyone acknowledges the benefits that telemedicine has provided over the past year," Suzanne McDonald, Health Partner at Deloitte, said.
"It has played an important role in helping to manage spread of the virus, enabling vulnerable individuals to safely access medical care and also providing mechanisms to access HSE Covid-19 testing," Ms McDonald said.
"The introduction of telemedicine has also supported wider use of e-prescribing which brings additional benefits," she added.
Other areas the report examines include the growth in the use of digital reality headsets in enterprise and education, the migration of services to the cloud and the growth of 5G in the months ahead.
