5G and telemedicine: towards the end of medical deserts?

Our findings

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While 2020 will have been marked by the Covid-19 epidemic, it will also be remembered as the start of the rollout of 5G technology across the country, which should enable considerable progress, particularly in healthcare. After all, healthcare provision is still very heterogeneous...

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Medical deserts on the increase

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Medical deserts- areas where the supply of healthcare falls far short of demand - are becoming increasingly numerous and widespread. Even if the problem is not specific to our country, a growing number of French people are finding it extremely difficult to access medical care in many parts of the country.

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Practitioners retiring and not being replaced, shorter consultation hours, rural areas that don't attract young graduates to set up practice - these are just some of the reasons why there are so few GPs in these areas.

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The same applies to specialists: cardiologists, gynecologists and dermatologists all have long waiting times, sometimes reaching six months for an appointment with an ophthalmologist, for example.

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At the same time, the demand for care is constantly on the rise, due to longer life expectancy and the growing number of chronic illnesses.

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In this context, it's not uncommon to have to wait months for a change in treatment for cardiovascular disease, a prescription for contraception or a new pair of glasses, all of which become problematic.

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The Tessan company was born of this realization.

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Numerous measures have been taken in recent years:

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• Numerus clausus for medical students to be increased - then abolished in 2020
• Development of health centers and nursing homes, financial assistance for new facilities
• Delegation of certain tasks to medical assistants
• Incentive to choose a medical desert area for the end-of-residency internship...

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However, they don't seem to be effective or their results quick enough to overcome this phenomenon.

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At Tessan, we believe that telemedicine is THE solution, and we're innovating in this direction.

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The advent of telemedicine in Covid-19 times

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The Covid-19 epidemic and the confinements it imposed on the population had the effect of democratizing the use of telemedicine.

From just a few thousand weekly teleconsultations at the start of the year, the number rose to several hundred thousand at the peak of the first wave, representing almosta third of all consultations.

And with good reason: all you need is a computer equipped with a camera and an Internet connection to carry out a teleconsultation from anywhere. No special computer skills are required: the doctor sends a connection link to the patient, directing him or her to a secure website or application.

As a result, many French people were able to continue receiving treatment during the health crisis, for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart failure and epilepsy.

It's a safe bet that, once the Covid crisis is behind us, a large number of patients who have been seduced by this practice will continue to use it. For households without Internet access or computers, or for patients requiring a more in-depth clinical examination, Tessan offers medical cabins.

We equip these capsules, which are installed in pharmacies pharmacies or nursing homes, for example, with everything needed to communicate with a doctor via videoconferencing, as well as a wide range of medical tools, making it possible to carry out over 90% of an ordinary consultation.

Applying 5G technology to healthcare

Is 5G 4G only better?

And not only that. Not only will this technology deliver much higher speeds than its predecessor, with much shorter data transit times and a huge number of simultaneous connections, but it will also enable unprecedented applications, such as the transmission of 3D images. What's more, while the number of antennas to be put into service by the end of the year is limited, it should eventually cover 100% of the country, unlike previous versions.

Designed to facilitate interaction with artificial intelligence and connected objects, it will revolutionize the transport and industrial sectors in particular. Evolutive, it will enable innovations for individuals and businesses alike.

With impeccable video quality, virtually imperceptible response times and the ability to interact with objects multiplied, the usefulness of 5G in telemedicine is becoming clear.

Remote surgery can be carried out between a large regional university hospital with extensive resources and a large team of surgeons, and a small provincial hospital.

On the patient's smartphone or PC, communication will be more fluid, interactivity more immediate, and images more precise. In connected terminals that we make available to professionals, we offer seven devices, from dermatoscopes and blood pressure monitors to thermometers and scales. Tomorrow, thanks to this revolutionary technology, Tessan will be able to provide a wider range of even more reliable equipment.

By covering the entire country,5G should enable everyone to benefit from a general or specialist medical consultation quickly, regardless of location. All these applications should help to erase the current inequalities in France and enable us to achieve our goal: the end of medical deserts.

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