Telemedicine has become especially important in the face of COVID-19. Homage Health, a new programme launched by Singaporean company Homage, provides teleconsultation services supplemented by in-person support to provide holistic healthcare services.
Telemedicine has quickly become one of the fastest growing areas in healthcare this year, in no small part due to COVID-19. Often, the individuals who are most vulnerable and need to be actively protected from infection are also those who require regular treatment and monitoring for various conditions. The risks of taking transportation and exposure to the public may deter some people from visiting their physicians in person, but this also disrupts regular treatment schedules and can be dangerous as well. Fortunately, technology can help to alleviate some of these problems.
Homage is a Singapore-based company that uses smart technology to provide holistic home and community-based caregiving, nursing, rehabilitation and medical services. Previously, the company mainly provided support to health organisations for the delivery of mobile medicine services, which include providing in-person house calls by doctors, and recently, teleconsultations services and powering mobile clinics around Singapore.
In June this year, Homage announced the launch of Homage Health, their newest service segment for the provision of mobile medicine, teleconsultation and medication delivery services to individuals at home. Homage Health is meant to complement Homage Care, the company’s core set of services which includes nursing, caregiving and rehabilitation, and was introduced in response to increased demand for medical teleconsultations and home medical services.
A large proportion of Homage’s customers are seniors, who require access to medical services while having to stay safe at home. Trained caregivers and nurses from Homage can provide in-person support to customers during their teleconsultations with doctors. These trained professionals can also assist seniors through regular check-ins by ensuring that treatment plans are followed properly.
Using Homage Health, patrons can consult a doctor via video consultation, at any time that they require without having to leave home. They can seek treatment and get diagnoses for common acute conditions, including colds, allergies, or just when they need medication refills to be delivered to their homes. This is especially useful for patients with chronic conditions and who are on long-term medication for conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease and hypertension, who will no longer need to make trips to the clinic whenever they need a prescription for their regular medication. The teleconsultation services will soon be extended to rehabilitation and therapy sessions, allowing patients to consult speech therapists and go through therapy sessions from home.
In order to ensure that Homage Health provides high quality and reliable services, the company will conduct stringent checks during its selection process, to ensure that all doctors whom they employ are registered with the Singapore Medical Council, and have received training on Singapore’s telemedicine guidelines.
Gillian Tee, Co-Founder and CEO of Homage, says: “It is key we offer a complete range of health and caregiving services for seniors who are most at risk, enabling them to access digital health solutions alongside the need for in-person care when needed. Our mission has always been to enable wellness and recovery through holistic care, which makes out expansion into medical services a natural progression for us.”
Technology and innovative approaches such as this one by Homage have helped vulnerable individuals cope with and even adapt to the many lifestyle changes brought by COVID-19. However, these services, which bring convenience and peace of mind to many individuals, will likely be here to stay even after the world recovers from the pandemic. Services such as Homage Health could change the way people experience and receive healthcare services in the future. [APBN]