The telestroke services market is expected to grow from US$ 1,546.79 million in 2022 to US$ 4,672.23 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.2 % from 2022 to 2028.

The rising prevalence of stroke cases and the surging volume of patients suffering from cardiac disorders are bolstering the growth of the telestroke services market. Additionally, the growing technological advancements are likely to emerge as a significant future trend in the telestroke services market from 2022 to 2028. However, unawareness of strokes is hampering the overall market growth.

The sudden death of brain cells due to a lack of oxygen causes strokes. When treating a stroke, time is considered immensely critical; Patients treated within 90 minutes of stroke have a significantly reduced risk of permanent brain damage or death. For this reason, telestroke services benefit patients in rural areas, where acute care hospitals are often hours away. Telestroke services are a subcategory of telemedicine, commonly used for medical consultations, where neurocritical doctors can speak, ask questions, and observe the patient in real-time to make a diagnosis. Telestroke connects experienced vascular neurologists from a neurology center to several remote emergency hospitals to offer online consultations to efficiently manage patients with stroke symptoms using telemedicine technology and remote patient monitoring. Healthcare systems across various developed and emerging countriesare saving lives through telestroke services, which use connected healthcare channels to expedite the diagnosis and treatment of stroke victims. Using telemedicine and mHealth devices to care for someone showing signs of a stroke makes telestroke one of the more mainstream connected healthcare services, benefiting both urban and rural healthcare providers and saving lives.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. In 2016, the World Health Organization ranked stroke as the second leading cause of death. Stroke is a leading concern for public health with serious economic and social consequences. The public health burden of stroke will increase in the coming decades due to changing demographics, particularly in developing countries. With the development of new treatment modalities, including the use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and mechanical thrombectomy, clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke have improved. However, these interventions are time-sensitive, and there are major disparities between rural and urban regions in terms of the availability of neurologists and life-saving treatment options. Risk of death and poor prognosis after stroke increase with delays in diagnosis and treatment. Further, there is a growing shortage of neurologists, particularly in underserved rural areas. According to Frontiers Media S.A., this supply gap of neurologists is projected to increase from 11% in 2012 to ~19% by 2025, with the largest decline in the number of vascular neurologists. Moreover, strokes can be divided into two main categories-ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke is caused by the cutting off of blood supply to a part of the brain, resulting in a sudden loss of function, while hemorrhagic stroke is due to a rupture of a blood vessel or an abnormal vascular structure.

Stroke continues to be a disease of immense concern for public health, despite advances in understanding several factors regarding the disease, such as epidemiology, quality of life, and pathophysiology. According to the Indian Stroke Association, the incidence of stroke in India has increased by ~100% over the past few decades. Furthermore, ~1.8 million people in India suffer a stroke yearly, and only early treatment can reduce morbidity and mortality. Further, even though the growing incidence of noncommunicable diseases such as stroke threatens the larger population, stroke treatment and rehabilitation remain underdeveloped in the country. As per the American Heart Association, ~1 in 19 deaths in the US in 2018 was due to a stroke, and in 2016, on average, one person died from a stroke every 3 minutes 33 seconds. Further, stroke is the fifth-highest cause of death in the US, resulting in 147,810 deaths in 2018. Overall, there were an estimated 460,000 strokes in the US in 2019 (two-thirds were ischemic), 190,000 were stroke-related deaths, and 3.83 million stroke-disability-adjusted life years. Therefore, owing to the rising number of stroke cases across the globe is expected to boost the telestroke services market.

The telestroke services market is bifurcated into type and end user. Based on type, the market is bifurcated into ischemic and hemorrhagic. The ischemic segment is estimated to account for a larger market share from 2022 to 2028. Ischemic strokes are caused due to the interrupted or reduced blood supply to the brain preventing from getting oxygen and other nutrients. The reduced blood supply can be caused due to blood clots, atherosclerosis, stenosis, and others. The patient may experience numbness, headache, trouble walking, trouble speaking, and difficulty understanding speech. Various medical and lifestyle risk factors contribute to the growing prevalence of ischemic stroke, including a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disorders. Thus, the rising prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are the major factors driving the growth of the ischemic segment and contributing to the growth of the telestroke services market.

Telestroke Services Market Opportunities

Despite advances in acute stroke treatment, stroke continues to be the fifth-highest cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in adults worldwide. Telestroke connects experienced vascular neurologists from a neurology center to several remote emergency hospitals to offer online consultations to efficiently manage patients with stroke symptoms using telemedicine technology and remote patient monitoring. Telemedicine uses electronic communication methods such as telephone, internet, and video conferencing to exchange medical information from one geographic location to another for direct access to expert opinion and guidance. Similarly, telestroke also uses interactive video conferencing technologies specifically to treat acute stroke patients. Telemedicine can overcome geographic barriers, save money, and improve knowledge in acute stroke care. Telemedical-guided thrombolysis is feasible, safe, and efficient. Telemedicine improves the quality of acute stroke care in rural areas with limited access to specialized stroke care. Telestroke programs provide services to acute stroke patients in various settings, including mobile stroke units, emergency rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), and medical-surgical units that do not have access to on-site stroke physician's services.

The medical services respond quickly to emergencies and treat complex clinical problems and diseases efficiently. However, as the population ages and the incidence of chronic diseases increase, the demand for medical services continues to rise, resulting in high costs, thus, straining the healthcare systems. Healthcare providers have used telemedicine to treat stroke patients for over three decades, beginning with an audio-visual platform allowing neurologists to see a patient showing signs of a stroke. Healthcare systems across the globe are saving lives through telestroke services, which use connected healthcare channels to expedite the diagnosis process and treatment of stroke victims. The Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Needed to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act 2017 included the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act. This act lifts rural restrictions and expands health insurance for hospitals to include telestroke services from 2021, potentially expanding telehealth services to more stroke patients. Therefore, such aforementioned factors are expected to provide opportunities to the telestroke services market in the coming years.

The World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American Stroke Association, National Library of Medicine, Indian Stroke Association, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), National Health System (NHS), National Health System?s Stroke Strategy, Brazilian Ministry of Health, and Organizations for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), are among the primary and secondary sources referred to while preparing the report on the telestroke services market.