Healthcare has witnessed significant challenges over the past decade, compelling organizations to embrace new approaches. These methods have not only accelerated the adoption of telemedicine but have also highlighted the importance of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). In this article, we explore how these two technologies go hand in hand and the benefits they bring to healthcare.

Uniting Telemedicine and VDI for Healthcare Excellence

Healthcare Challenges and the Need for New Methods

Over the last decade, healthcare faced numerous challenges that led to the adoption of new methods. These challenges forced healthcare organizations to find ways to operate while minimizing the risk of contamination among physicians, patients, and hospital staff. Telemedicine emerged as a crucial solution, and its adoption continues to grow.Healthcare organizations have realized the importance of being able to access tools like electronic health record (EHR) applications and prescription services from anywhere. This flexibility is essential in a post-pandemic world where remote work and access to critical tools are crucial.

Understanding Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

VDI is a technological solution that hosts virtual applications, desktops, and data in a data center or cloud infrastructure and delivers them remotely to endpoint devices. It provides a secure way for healthcare practitioners to access the software tools they need from their preferred devices.Most remote healthcare practitioners require access to various software applications such as EHR, medical databases, medical diagnostics, and hospital management solutions. While some tools can be installed on personal laptops or desktops, this poses risks such as data breaches and violations of data protection laws.VDI eliminates these risks by storing data on the central server rather than on personal devices. It allows healthcare practitioners to access the applications they need from their devices of choice without compromising data security.

Telemedicine and VDI: A Perfect Match

When people think of telemedicine, they often imagine video conferencing. However, there are many other tools involved. Most remote healthcare practitioners need access to various software applications, and VDI makes it possible for them to access these tools from their devices.Tech-savvy medical practitioners prefer to use mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, most medical tools and applications are not designed for these devices. VDI solves this problem by enabling healthcare practitioners to access the applications they need from their mobile devices without compromising data security.The more healthcare organizations engage in telemedicine, the more practical VDI usage becomes. It allows for seamless access to critical tools and ensures the continuity of healthcare services.

Accelerated Adoption during the Pandemic

During the surge of Covid-19 infections, healthcare facilities faced an overwhelming influx of patients. To minimize transmissions, some hospital staff were asked to work remotely. Telemedicine and VDI played a crucial role in allowing doctors to continue providing health services while avoiding direct contact.However, healthcare organizations need to be careful in choosing telemedicine and VDI solutions. Overly expensive solutions can siphon resources, and complex solutions can take too much time to deploy. VDI solutions with a simplified architecture offer a better option by delivering desktops and applications quickly and efficiently.These solutions translate to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), giving healthcare organizations the financial flexibility to prioritize other essentials such as hiring more healthcare workers and procuring critical medical equipment.

Reinforcing Healthcare IT Initiatives with VDI

Many healthcare organizations have implemented remote-work options based on guidelines from the World Health Organization and local governments. VDI can help reinforce these initiatives by providing a secure stack of security functions.SSL/TLS data-in-motion encryption, multi-factor authentication, advanced filtering, and FIPS 140-2 encryption are some of the security features that VDI offers. These features ensure the secure delivery of virtual applications, desktops, and data to end-user devices.Fast and secure authentication is also crucial in the medical field. Some VDI solutions offer single-sign-on functionality, allowing medical staff to login once and access all the applications they need for the entire shift. AI-based session pre-launch functionality further reduces login times and improves efficiency.VDI excels in supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environments, enabling healthcare staff to work remotely using their own devices. It can deliver any application to any endpoint device, providing a seamless user experience.Conclusion:Healthcare organizations are currently facing one of the most challenging periods. However, with the help of technologies like VDI, they can continue to provide care while keeping medical staff safe. VDI's ability to provide secure, reliable, and fast remote application delivery makes it an essential tool for healthcare organizations. By embracing these technologies, healthcare organizations can ensure the continuity of patient care and focus on their number one priority - providing care to patients in need.