Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
PRESENTED BY AXA

Doctors on demand: why digital healthcare is great news for expats

When you live abroad, one of the biggest challenges is working out the local healthcare system. You may be unsure how to arrange to see a doctor – or short of time to squeeze in an appointment once you’ve found out.

Published: 13 October 2020 09:01 CEST
Updated: 4 September 2023 15:17 CEST
Doctors on demand: why digital healthcare is great news for expats
Photo: Getty Images

Even once you’re face-to-face with a doctor, you may still be worried about a potential language barrier or your lack of local knowledge. It’s hardly what you want when making a medical appointment becomes one more source of stress.

Now, however, digitalisation is rapidly changing healthcare – and offering international residents the chance to speak to a doctor without leaving home. In partnership with AXA – Global Healthcare, The Local looks into this and some of the other ways in which digitalisation is reshaping healthcare. 

Five levels of cover to suit your needs – find out about AXA – Global Healthcare

How digital tech promotes healthcare at home

Many of us have already embraced technology when it comes to looking after our health and fitness. Wearable devices that track your steps, heart rate or sleep are no longer an oddity – you may check one before going to bed or as soon as you wake up.

The number of health apps you can choose to put on your smartphone is mind-boggling – at least 318,000 as of 2019. The rise of digital consultations with doctors and other health professionals is the latest example of technology bringing healthcare into the home.

According to a report by Deloitte, most healthcare will be delivered to patients at home or through “virtual, outpatient, and other settings” in 20 years from now.

It suggests this will come as healthcare focuses increasingly on helping individuals to stay healthy through tips on wellness and preventing illness. The long-term hope is that technological innovation will help make healthcare more efficient for everyone – patients, doctors, nurses and taxpayers.

Just what the virtual doctor ordered … 

In the digital era, life seems busier than ever for many of us. Luckily, a growing number of digital solutions also enable us to take care of crucial things remotely – and nothing is more crucial than healthcare.

It’s not surprising that people are attracted to the idea of on-demand access to highly qualified doctors – all without having to travel to a clinic or health centre and sit in a waiting room. 

Add in the option of speaking to a doctor in English (or perhaps even another preferred language) and availability around-the-clock, and it’s easy to see why apps and services offering doctor’s appointments are growing fast.

Speak to a doctor in a language of your choice 24/7 with the Virtual Doctor service from AXA 

You can get a diagnosis for you or your family member, advice on the next steps or even have a referral to a specialist arranged.

Photo: Getty Images

The global market for online doctor consultations is worth $3.9 billion in 2020 – but will quadruple to $16 billion in just six years, according to Global Market Estimates. 

These services include the Virtual Doctor service from AXA, which saw up to a 264 percent rise in registrations in a recent eight-month period*.

The app offers access to internationally qualified doctors over the phone 24/7 or via video consultation (between 8am and midnight UK time) for all individual and SME customers.

As well as offering diagnosis and referrals, doctors on the Virtual Doctor service can also provide e-prescriptions in many locations, when medically necessary and where regulations allow.

Moving faster into the future

While coronavirus has played a part in driving demand for online appointments this year, it’s clear that the change has longer term implications. The challenges of the pandemic may simply move us even faster towards more digital consultations in a way that was destined to happen before long anyway.

Digital technology is also changing medical treatment in a variety of other ways that could have significant benefits for patients. For instance, big data has the potential to alert health professionals to potential medication errors through software that can analyse a patient’s history. Another possible usage is in predicting hospital admission rates to help managers anticipate their required staffing levels.

What about virtual reality (VR)? This technology is already offering much more than just a video gamer’s idea of paradise. In healthcare, VR is already being used in innovative approaches to treating everything from pain to post-traumatic stress disorder.

* According to Advance Medial, the virtual doctor service provider, based on registrations from AXA – Global Healthcare members, with policies administered by AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Ltd between Dec 2019 and July 2020. 

Moving abroad or looking to boost your local healthcare coverage? Find out more about AXA – Global Healthcare’s international health insurance options

This article was produced by The Local Creative Studio and presented by AXA.

AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited. Registered in Ireland number 630468. Registered Office: Wolfe Tone House, Wolfe Tone Street, Dublin 1. AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited. Registered in England (No. 03039521). Registered Office: 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG, United Kingdom. AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

For members

LIVING IN NORWAY

Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

One of the easiest ways to adjust to life in another country is to feel a sense of belonging, either by feeling part of the wider community or carving out your own path. 

Published: 22 April 2024 16:16 CEST
Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

While plenty of factors, such as work-life balance, access to nature, and the country’s great potential for child raising, make it attractive, foreigners in Norway find it a difficult place to settle. 

In previous surveys among foreign residents, internationals in Norway have said that the culture and difficulty making friends made Norway a hard place to settle. 

Finding a sense of community and belonging can help people feel settled and at home. 

Even if you need to fit in more places, there will likely be somewhere in Norway where you can embed yourself into a community. 

Start with your neighbourhood or local area  

This may not be possible everywhere, and not everyone is guaranteed a great relationship with their neighbours. 

However, life in the big cities in Norway could be set up for strong micro-communities. This is because many apartment blocks are arranged into housing associations. 

These business-like entities allow the residents to get involved with the running of the community. You could contribute by joining the board, or you may wish to get involved with dugnad (voluntary work) in the spring and autumn. 

There may also be seasonal parties and meetups organised by the neighbours.

READ ALSO: Seven ways you will accidentally annoy your Norwegian neighbours

Volunteering 

Giving back to your local community can definitely make it feel like you are an important building block. 

Norway has around 100,000 volunteer organisations that offer several opportunities to get involved and help others. 

From coaching kids’ sports teams to helping other immigrants integrate, there are hundreds of ways to go about volunteering. 

There are a number of places where you can find some volunteering work, such as Frivillighet Norge, Norges Frivilligsentraler, and Frivillig.no. 

READ ALSO: How can I find volunteer work in Norway?

Sports, old and new 

One of the best ways to feel involved in something is to be part of a team. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get involved with sports in Norway. 

If you live in the big cities, there are plenty of ways to pick up a new sport, keep a lifelong passion going, or pick up the baton after a few years off. 

Oslo, for example, has facilities for sports of all types, from rock climbing to cricket. There are also plenty of chances to get involved in a number of sports just beginning to take off in Norway, such as padel, pickleball, or racketlon. 

There’s much more than just racquet sports too, it’s simply a case of looking for something that suits your fancy. If there is a sport from where you are from that you miss, you likely aren’t the only one, so be sure to check if there is an equivalent close to you. 

Many of these sports will have an associated club, meaning there will be several social opportunities to gather. 

Not all sports require you to be an athlete, either. There are plenty that require a degree of skill, but are also inclusive, such as the game cornhole. 

Hobbies 

It’s not just being part of a sports team that can help you get close to others over a shared interest. 

There are also plenty of opportunities to get to know people and feel a part of something while enjoying your hobbies. If it’s gardening, consider an allotment, cars or bikes, and you could join a motor club. 

If you speak a language other than English, you could consider a language café. From there, you could consider sharing your language with others in a community full of people interested in other languages and cultures. 

Foreign resident groups 

Sometimes, the community you might be missing has more to do with where you have left than it has to do with where you are. 

In that regard, it might be nice to surround yourself with people from a similar part of the world. Thanks to social media, there are groups for pretty much everyone in Norway, as well as groups for new residents or foreign residents, more generally. 

These groups will typically act as support networks where people can ask questions, rant, arrange meetups and generally support one another. 

SHOW COMMENTS