Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Predictions 2021
Video visits go viral COVID-19 sparks new interest in video doctor’s visits
Of all the activities that COVID-19 brought online, video doctor’s visits may be the one that caused the most personal trepidation. After all, how can a doctor take your blood pressure, examine your throat, or evaluate a skin tumor over Zoom or Skype? But as it turns out, many consumers (and doctors) have been quick to change their minds about video visits’ efficacy and appeal, and they are now prepared to do it that way for the long term.
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We predict that the percentage of virtual video visits to doctors will rise to 5% globally in 2021, up from an estimated 1% in 2019.107 While 5% may not sound like much, consider that 8.5 billion doctor’s visits, worth a total of approximately US$500 billion, took place in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 36 countries in 2019 alone. 5% of that would translate into more than 400 million video visits and about US$25 billion in
