The first public appearance of the Octodoc telemedicine prototype took place at the Romanian Healthcare Conference & Expo 2022.

The first interactive telemedicine kiosk with integrated video assistance for proximity medical services attracted the interest of the medical community at the first medical conference dedicated to optimizing patient experience in Romania, which took place at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, on October 14, 2022.

Beyond budgetary and specialized personnel challenges of the Romanian health system, Romania is facing poor medical education among the population, which does not practice prevention to maintain good health, but prefers to postpone the interaction with doctors.

The COVID-19 context has destructively amplified this situation in recent years. According to the latest niched Ipsos Romania studies, one out of two Romanians from urban areas avoided monitoring their health during the pandemic through medical consultations, blood tests, or other investigations. Practically, half of the urban Romanian citizens went to the family doctor less or not at all (43%), or to the specialist doctor (50%). Even more, a quarter of Romanians (23%) did no blood tests, and 29% did not have investigations or ultrasounds for monitoring or prevention. Among the causes of these worrying observations are: financial difficulties, lack of trust or of positive past experiences with the healthcare system, fear of receiving bad news regarding health status, difficult access to doctors due to their distance or availability, etc.

The direct results of the absence of education on the importance of prevention and constant health monitoring were not slow to appear – in 2021, 54% of family doctors and 68% of specialists interviewed by Ipsos Romania noticed an increase in the number of emergencies or the aggravation of the medical condition of chronic patients; and the mortality rate from treatable causes is more than twice as high compared to the EU average (according to OCDE/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), România: Profilul de țară din 2021 în ceea ce privește sănătatea, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/ European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Bruxelles).

An efficient solution for reducing the negative effects on the health of the population is telemedicine innovation, since periodical remote consultations of patients for which physical presence is not mandatory (e.g. monitoring chronic patients, renewing prescriptions and medical recommendations, etc.) can generate numerous benefits , such as: easy access to the doctor – including disadvantaged groups from some rural areas, operational efficiency in hospitals (e.g. optimization of appointment management and patient traffic, simplification of patient data management), improvement of general health of the Romanian population, a better national distribution of medical counselling services, an additional source of income for doctors who have access to a small number of patients, and much more.

Despite the fact that, globally, the telemedicine industry has seen impressive growth, accelerated by the challenges of the pandemic, locally the adoption of telehealth solutions is still stagnant, it is barely practiced, and inefficiently, mostly by phone or WhatsApp – not through smart telemedicine platforms. People who accessed medical advice through online medcare applications are young, aged up to 44; people aged over 55 accessed remote medicine far less (20%), having discussions with doctors only by phone.

Although the norms of telemedicine services were formalized this year in Romania, and the digital reform of the health system is imminent, the rural-urban gap remains a critical area for the evolution of the medical ecosystem – 41% of Bucharest residents have used remote medicine during the pandemic, compared to 26% among the population of cities under 50,000 inhabitants – the vulnerable rural population, with limited access to the Internet and to technology, encounter the most difficulties, and do not sufficiently benefit from the medical services they greatly need.

At the initiative of Marketing Insiders Group, the founder of the first medical conference focusing on patient experience – Romanian Healthcare Conference & Expo, the leaders of the medical world and of the local business community gathered on October 14th, at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, to explore critical needs and practical solutions for the evolution of the Romanian health system.

The Octodoc team encourages collaboration and partnership efforts of business leaders, doctors and public institutions for the health of Romanians, constantly investing in technology, education, and projects of national impact, such as the Romanian Healthcare Conference & Expo. This is why Octodoc openly supported the first edition of the business event, as a Silver Partner.

During the conference, more than 130 industry participants benefited from niche know-how of medTECH, medCARE and medBUSINESS, industry trends and interactive sessions with some of the most renowned personalities in the field, both locally and internationally, such as:

Mihaela van der Schaar, Director of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine (CCAIM), John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, AI, and Medicine – University of Cambridge,  Barry L. Jackson, Ph.D., Vice President, Osteo Re School of Osteopathy, Fulbright Senior Scholar, Addiction Specialist, Professor and Director Emeritus, The Drug, Alcohol and Wellness Network – Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Patriciu Achimaș-Cadariu, Ph.D., Primary physician, Gynecological Oncology Superspecialization and Oncological Surgery – Oncological Institute Cluj-Napoca, Deputy in the Romanian Parliament, President of the Group To Fight Cancer of the Romanian Parliament, Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoveanu, Lecturer –Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Neonatologist Doctor –„Marie Curie” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Robert Șerban, Vicepresident– Palmed, Răzvan Predica, Country Manager – Affidea Hiperdia Romania, Rozalina Lăpădatu, President – A.P.A.A. (Association for Patients with Autoimmune Diseases), and others.

At the conference, George Niculcea, CEO and Founder – Octodoc, and Ștefan Dumitru, Senior Product Manager – Octodoc, strategically and statistically presented to the audience the critical needs of patients and doctors in Romania, and the way the multifunctional Octodoc kiosk can significantly improve access for all Romanians to remote medical support, regardless of their locality or digital knowledge. As a premiere, the Octodoc team showed the physical prototype of the hybrid telemedicine device to the public, sparking the interest of the medical community, of business leaders, and of the mass media. Although the prototype is in the process of being finalized, the feedback from the Romanian Healthcare Conference & Expo audience was extremely positive.

“We were happy to make the first edition of the Romanian Healthcare Conference & Expo possible, as a Silver Partner, and to see how many valuable experts in the field responded with great enthusiasm to our invitation to attend the conference with information, tangible directions and innovative ideas for redefining the local health ecosystem. The fact that we are joining forces and laying the foundations of a community of leaders of change for the better represents an important step forward for Romanian patients and doctors. And the positive feedback regarding the Octodoc telehealth device motivates us to move forward with determination with this pioneering technology in telemedicine, here in Romania”  George Niculcea, CEO and Founder – Octodoc and Vice President – Bright Distribution.

The Octodoc innovation is the first interactive telemedicine system with integrated video assistance, a unique hybrid concept – facilitating access to medical advice for everyone, including disadvantaged populations or people with disabilities. The device is multifunctional and easy to use, and offers patients the opportunity to connect with a family doctor or specialist closer to where they live, at the first Octodoc Point in their vicinity.

Among Octodoc’s functionalities are: routine tests (measurement of blood pressure, oxygen saturation and pulse, temperature, etc.), health card reading and printing of medical documents, audio-video assistance for appointments and information with the help of the customer relations team, video consultations with doctors, quick management of medical history, and more.

After a series of prototypes and testing processes with doctors and patients, the Octodoc kiosk is in the final stage of production and software implementation, and will be accessible for the public in 2023, both covered by C.A.S. insurance and with paid service.

Find out more information via octodoc.ro. For strategic partnership opportunities, business details, or demo session requests – the Octodoc consultants are ready to offer prompt support – email: sales@octodoc.ro.

Sources: Ipsos Romania, OCDE/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), România: Profilul de țară din 2021 în ceea ce privește sănătatea, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/ European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Bruxelles.