Stay safe, stay home and stay connected through the Discovery Connected Care platform

Have you experienced the way in which high-quality online doctor consultations are possible from the comfort of home? If not, you'll be very interested to learn more about Discovery Connected Care and the way in which ground-breaking new devices like TytoHome, are changing the landscape of doctors' visits in exciting ways.

What is telemedicine?

"Telemedicine refers to ways in which patients connect with their doctors digitally for remote diagnosis and treatment," says Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Head of the Centre for Clinical Excellence at Discovery Health. "Over 2020 and into 2021, telemedicine platforms have given people across the world a way to access the healthcare they need from the comfort of home, so lowering our risk of exposure to COVID-19 and also keeping healthcare providers safe too. However, the potential that digital healthcare solutions hold is really set to outlive the pandemic. That's where Discovery Connected Care, devices like the TytoHome (explained below) and other digitally-enabled, cutting-edge technologies are redefining the way we access healthcare for good."

What can we do through telemedicine? What is its potential?

• Connecting people in remote or under-resourced areas to healthcare

Online doctor consultations have for years been used to connect people who are located in remote settings (where healthcare resources are often limited), to a doctor who could be located anywhere in the world. For example, Medicines Sans Frontiers (also known as Doctors Without Borders) has long used telemedicine to allow its remote healthcare teams to consult with specialists who may be located anywhere in the world, and to extend its reach to people in need in general - and particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes extending medical services to conflict zones where it is not safe to send healthcare workers.

• Connecting people to healthcare from the comfort of home

Discovery Health's digital platform for online doctor consultations saw up to a 35-fold increase in online consultations carried out via the platform from 2019 and 2020. "Being able to access excellent medical care from the comfort of home, means convenience and lowered risk of exposure to COVID-19. This is especially relevant for those who are considered to be at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness (such as people who live with chronic illnesses or who have suppressed immunity)," says Dr Nematswerani.

In the United States of America, according to a Rand Corporation study of six million people's insurance claims in 2019 and 202 (published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine), there was a 20-fold increase in the rate of telemedicine utilization following the outset of the pandemic in March 2020. At the same time, the rate of office-based medical encounters declined by nearly 50% and was not fully offset by the increase in telemedicine. Research by McKinsey also shows that from 2019 to 2020, the United States saw a five-fold growth in the use of telehealth platforms by consumers. Healthcare providers in the US are now seeing between 50 and 175 times more patients on telehealth platforms.

Discovery Connected Care for an end-to-end, digital healthcare journey, from home

"At Discovery Health we are doing all we can to make high-quality online doctor consultations (done via video or audio call) available to medical scheme members," says Dr Nematswerani. "Discovery Connected Care, launched in 2021, sets out to offer cutting-edge solutions to these challenges and bring a world of personalised, digitally-connected healthcare devices and technology to scheme members. We believe this is the future of healthcare."

Discovery Connected Care spans everything from online doctors consultations (enabled through Discovery Health's online consultation platform and through the TytoHome mobile medical device), to advanced digital devices that assist people with chronic conditions, or people who have been discharged form hospital to be monitored and receive around the clock care.

• Connected Care for members at home brings the online consultation experience closer to a face-to-face doctor visit.
• Connected Care for members who have chronic conditions allows scheme members to manage and track their chronic condition at home through personalised coaching, consultations and remote monitoring devices.
• Connected Care for members who need acute care allows scheme members to experience clinically appropriate, patient-centric care in their homes as a substitute for acute hospital care.

Connected Care for members at home: What does it feel like to hold a TytoHome device in your hand?

One example of the way in which Discovery Connected Care brings medical scheme members access to cutting-edge home-based healthcare, is the way in which scheme members have discounted access to the award-winning TytoHome mobile medical device (members can pay for through their day-to day benefits).

"TytoHome is portable, lightweight medical exam kit that includes an examination camera, thermometer, otoscope and stethoscope. The device enriches the online doctor consultation experience by providing doctors with a live feed consisting of clinical-grade images and sound," says Dr Nematswerani. "This allows doctors (in the Discovery Health TytoHome network) to diagnose symptoms and common conditions remotely, based on their observations. Doctors can then devise a treatment plan, which may include a prescription."

"Members are also asked to give their doctor access to their Discovery HealthID electronic health record, which ensures the doctor has seamless access to a holistic picture of each members' treatment journey and requirements."

• - Discovery Health Medical Scheme members can book online doctor consultations and connect with doctors in the TytoHome network via the Discovery's new Connected Care platform, available on www.discovery.co.za or the Discovery app.

"A doctor can examine and diagnose a patient who is at home, then send them an online prescription (e-script) which is ordered, tracked and delivered to the member's home through Discovery MedExpress," explains Dr Nematswerani.

"During the consultation, patients (guided by the doctor) capture clinical-grade images of the ear, throat and skin, as well as lung and heart sounds (usually captured by a stethoscope), which they share with the doctor in real time, using the Discovery Connected Care app. The device also comes with reusable tongue depressors and disposable ear specula for adults and children. "members also provide consent for their consulting doctor to use the

TytoHome allows for the examination of:

1. Heart rate
2. Ears
3. Breathing
4. Sore throats
5. Temperature
6. Skin conditions
7. Sounds from the digestive system
8. Fever and other conditions

• Read our how-to guide on using the TytoHome device to see how simple it is to set up and operate
• Read more: Discovery revolutionises virtual consultations with introduction of TytoHome device

"TytoHome is cordless (charged via electricity the battery lasts hours) and the member only needs a smartphone or tablet and a Wi-Fi internet connection to use it during a virtual consultation. TytoHome also offers various self-examination options which do not require Wi-Fi, for example, using the high-grade clinical thermometer to take an accurate forehead temperature reading when one suspects a fever," says Dr Nematswerani.

"The quality of medical images received is probably better than what we see in our practices using traditional tools"

Midrand-based GP, Dr Unben Pillay, says, "From a provider's point of view, the device gives the doctor access to a large amount of high-grade clinical information. The quality of medical images received is probably better than what we see in our practices using traditional tools. From the patient's point of view, the device is also very easy to use."

Dr Pillay also says, "Discovery has long been at the forefront of innovation in digital healthcare. The fact that Discovery Health has embraced the TytoHome device and made it available to medical scheme members - our patients - is a game changer for online consultations."