Online medical care

No matter how advanced technology gets, it can never be a substitute for good doctors and medical workers. During this year alone, healthcare professionals from all over the world have been putting themselves in harm’s way to treat COVID-19 patients.
无论科技变得多么发达，都永远无法替代出色的医生与医务工作者。仅在今年，世界各地的医护专业人士便不顾自身安危，救治新冠肺炎患者。

In times like this it is more important than ever that everyone has access to a doctor. But, according to statistics from the WHO, China has 19.79 medical doctors per 10,000 people (2017), the US has 26.12, and the UK has 27.86. While China does have 1.4 billion population, the relatively small number of medical doctors definitely presents an issue.
在这样的时候，人人都有就医机会变得比以往更重要。但据世界卫生组织的数据显示，2017年中国每万人拥有19.79位医生，而在美国和英国，这一数字分别为26.12和27.86。中国拥有14亿人口，而医生数量相对较小绝对是一大问题。

However, the rise of telemedicine allows doctors to make better use of their time and provides better healthcare access, especially for those in rural areas. Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services, including online consultations and diagnoses, and remote patient monitoring.
而远程医疗的兴起能够让医生们更好地利用时间，尤其是为农村地区的人们提供更好的医疗机会。远程医疗能够远程实现医疗服务，如在线问诊以及远程病患监护。

In China, it is normal to book a doctor’s appointment using services similar to the app Dingxiang Doctor, but mainstream use of telehealth is still yet to be adopted.
在中国，用丁香医生等应用预约就医十分常见，但远程医疗仍未被大规模推广采用。

According to the World Economic Forum, “While nearly every other industry adopted widespread use of conference calls, and more recently, video chats, in order to collaborate remotely, healthcare providers and patients were both hesitant to adopt these tools to deliver healthcare.”
世界经济论坛称，“尽管几乎所有行业都广泛推广使用电话会议，以及近期的视频聊天，从而进行远程协作，但医疗服务供应方以及病患都对使用这些工具来进行医疗服务有所犹豫。”

However, COVID-19 could be the catalyst for them to adopt the new approach. Having one of the best healthcare systems in the world, Switzerland already offers virtual video appointments for private patients, but with cloud computing, this care can go even further.
但新冠肺炎疫情或许会成为人们采用这一新方式的催化剂。瑞士的医疗系统在全球算得上数一数二，已为私人病患提供网络视频问诊，而在云计算技术的帮助下，这种医疗服务还能更进一步。

With patient data being stored in the cloud, medical records can be easily shared and updated by all healthcare providers when required. With the addition of powerful cloud networks, wearable tech, such as bracelets, can monitor a patient’s key signs from their homes, removing the need for hospital care.
由于病患的数据都储存在云端，所有的医疗服务提供方都能在需要时轻松共享并更新病例资料。此外，强大的云网络以及手环等可穿戴式设备还能在家中监测病患的关键指标，无需住院治疗。

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid administrator Seema Verma told the Wall Street Journal, “The advent of telehealth has been just completely accelerated, [and] it’s taken this crisis to push us to a new frontier.”
美国医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心主管西玛·维尔玛在接受《华尔街日报》采访时表示：“远程医疗全面加速到来，并在这次危机到来时将我们推向一个新前沿。”

Indeed, telemedicine will have a huge effect on medical care, allowing for more personalized treatment of patients long after this pandemic has relented.
的确，远程医疗将会对医疗服务产生重大影响，病患们在疫情缓和后能够获得更加个性化的治疗。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二799期