Throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic, social distancing and reducing in‐person interactions have been essential to decrease viral spread. The healthcare industry has largely pivoted to telehealth per CDC recommendations, conducting clinical visits via virtual methods and operating in‐person facilities at restricted capacity. Doing so reduces unnecessary patient contact and exposure.¹

In order for this to happen, however, significant policy changes needed to be made. First, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated geographical and site of service policies so patients could receive telehealth services no matter where they were located. The next step taken was to expand the list of available telehealth services and lift restrictions on the type of providers allowed to practice telemedicine.² Eliminating these barriers to development helped accelerate the use of newer care models like telehealth, especially due to the urgent need presented by COVID‐19.³

As a result, telemedicine visits have skyrocketed during the pandemic. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 43.5% of Medicare primary care visits occurred using telehealth in April 2020. This was a drastic uptick compared to the 0.1% reported in February 2020, before COVID‐19 was declared a public health emergency.² A study published in JAMA Network Open found that
telemedicine grew by more than 1,000% in March 2020 and more than 4,000% in April 2020.³

Eloquest Healthcare®, Inc. offers products designed to minimize the need and frequency of contact between patients and HCPs. This not only adheres to social distancing guidelines, but also helps HCPs maximize clinical efficiency and prevents unnecessary interruptions during patients’ sleep/rest periods. Both ReliaTect® Post‐ Op Dressing with CHG and Mastisol® Liquid Adhesive align with workflow goals in both
virtual and in‐person settings, with flexibility to accommodate each patient’s treatment plan in a dynamic healthcare environment.

ReliaTect® Post‐Op Dressing with CHG allows patients to monitor their incision sites from home due to its transparent film and antimicrobial properties. If questions arise, patients can simply send photos or video to their healthcare provider without removing the dressing. After 7 days, a post‐operative follow‐up appointment can be done via telehealth, as providers can assess the incision site over video.

Mastisol® Liquid Adhesive reduces dressing displacement and device dislodgement through its increased adherence and wear time of vascular access dressings, tapes and other devices. These properties decrease unplanned dressing changes and device maintenance, which ensures patient/provider contact occurs only as necessary.

Based on analysis of trends over the past year, it appears telemedicine will continue to impact healthcare services after the pandemic. According to an April 2020 survey by IQVIA, healthcare providers believe post‐pandemic telemedicine rates will make up 21% of their patient interactions.² However, while telehealth is a valuable resource, it is not appropriate for all medical situations.¹’³ While in‐person care and healthcare
facilities remain necessary and preferred, telehealth enhances the clinical experience by allowing patients and HCPs flexibility in treatment plans.²’³ Telemedicine has fundamentally changed the healthcare landscape into a hybrid model. Eloquest Healthcare®, Inc. provides products well suited for this transition; they can be used in both remote and in‐person settings, allowing maximum flexibility and peace of mind for patients and providers.

For more information about ReliaTect® Post-Op Dressing with CHG or Mastisol® Liquid Adhesive, please contact your Eloquest Healthcare®, Inc. sales consultant, call 1‐877‐433‐7626, or fill out this form. Eloquest Healthcare is committed to providing solutions that can help you reduce the risk of conditions like medical adhesive related skin injury (MARSI), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and post-operative wound contamination.