Doctors' Use Of Video Conferencing Is Increasing

Video conferencing among healthcare professionals has increased tenfold over the last three years, a new research has shown.

A total of 37,724 minutes of calls took place over video in 2014, the global leader in cloud-based video collaboration and interactive event services Blue Jeans Network revealed on Wednesday.

Further findings reveal that over the last three years, there has been an even split of video conferencing usage between professionals based in rural (21,402 minutes) and city (23,124 minutes) areas. Those based in rural areas are able to connect with city specialists, while those in the city can slash cross-town travel time and costs.

Over a three year period web browsers have become the most popular way to join video calls (72 per cent of all video calls in 2014) and a trend towards mobile usage can be seen, with one in every 21 calls having a participant joining via this platform.

“With the general election just round the corner, we think – like other years – changes will be put in place that will impact how healthcare organisations need to operate, and we’re really excited to see what these are.  Coupled with yesterday’s budget announcement severely lacking in attention towards the NHS and healthcare system, it’s now more important than ever for action to be taken to ensure resources can be used in the most efficient way possible, without cutting into valuable budgets,” said James Campanini, VP & GM EMEA at Blue Jeans Network.

While we have seen a significant increase in usage in recent years, there’s still vast potential for more healthcare professionals to not only embrace video conferencing solutions but to do so across a variety of devices.”