By Arvind Vaishnav
New Delhi: Today, we see healthcare leaders refocus on several new and existing priorities, from addressing staffing shortages to expanding care delivery to leveraging big data and predictive analytics, as they navigate new realities in care delivery. Added to this is the increase in patient expectations, which evolves with rapid technological changes. Thus, by 2023, there is huge scope for emerging technologies to completely transform and advance the healthcare technology market in India.
More than ever, a digital connection between patients and caregivers is necessary to complete the last mile in healthcare. SaaS (software as a service) is crucial for this accessibility improvement. An advanced extension of the cloud, it makes data easily accessible, allowing caregivers to take immediate action, share information, produce data and analyze it in real time with near instantaneous response time. This will allow hospitals to have a deep understanding of each patient’s medical history, allowing them to improve their patient care and achieve better outcomes.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can completely transform eHealth solutions by providing insight into the potential for faster, less expensive, and patient-specific therapies. According to PwC’s Global Digital IQ Survey, AI and internet of things (IoT) are the most disruptive technologies in the health sector. AI algorithms are used in conjunction with more IoT devices than smartphones to digitally collect data and transform it into actionable results. Thanks to AI-powered analytics, tools and technology, healthcare providers of the future will be able to choose the optimal course of action for each patient with the help of more effective, precise and substantial intervention.
As India prepares to roll out 5G, the healthcare industry has the greatest potential to be transformed by this technology. Dedicated network segments with assured performance, high speed, and almost no latency promise to enable cutting-edge services like live, real-time health monitoring, telemedicine, and remote surgery. When combined with human assistance, 5G technology and connectivity have the potential to improve public services, release resource constraints, and potentially save lives.
Over time, key concerns such as robotic rehabilitation, precision medicine, remote care for emergencies, and many more will develop and benefit from 5G technology.
Modern healthcare companies rely heavily on cloud-based technology as it offers cutting-edge options for automation, cost reduction, and security. In addition, we must be aware that the use, archiving and sharing of medical data have undergone a significant change due to cloud computing in healthcare. In addition, it offers personalization in care plans to improve results and helps discover new channels of contact with customers.
As more people take control of their health, the adoption of wearable health technologies is one of the trends that is revolutionizing the healthcare industry. Mobile sensor data for rapid deployment, IoT devices can provide remote diagnostics and health monitoring. A new Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), built using the Internet of Things and telemedicine, will be essential to track and prevent ailments. Healthcare administrators will need to know how to integrate these technologies into their businesses as people become more tech-savvy and wearable health devices become more widespread.
Standards for computing power, data processing, and data security are advancing and improving. Although the modernization of medical care is already underway, health informatics (HI) will continue to thrive, due to advances in standards, technology and acceptance of patient information rights.
Experts in health data analysis that can monitor and analyze health informatics data are becoming increasingly valuable for population health management initiatives used by health care systems to monitor and improve the health of people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Health informaticians are increasingly using technologies such as machine learning to perform predictive analytics on the likelihood of diseases affecting both individuals and broader populations of patients, as well as on therapy prognosis.
Being at the center of innovation, technology connects data and people. Emerging technology is not just for the patient, but equally for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. Therefore, bridging the gap between a patient and a caregiver is critical to achieving the last mile in healthcare. Healthcare institutions are looking for ways to connect data from multiple sites of care and heterogeneous systems to improve patient experiences and deliver better care throughout the journey. The potential of integrated cloud-based systems to free data from silos and generate actionable insights is growing in popularity as they establish processes that enable proactive, accurate, and integrated care delivery.
A report by Zion Market Research reveals that the global demand for home health care was valued at $370 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $839 billion by 2028, growing around 10.1% between 2021 and 2028. Emerging technologies continue to put the patient first, from the development of electronic health records that digitally store patient information to their continued improvements to increase interoperability of data storage, transfer between care organizations, and supporting an open channel of communication between payers, patients and providers.
In addition to improving an organization’s technological skills, the incorporation of emerging technologies offers the opportunity to prepare for organizational change in terms of coordinating people, processes, and technology to deliver the best health equity. The continued emergence of chronic diseases, rising health care costs, growing inequality, and climate change will eventually add to the stress if we don’t quickly reassess how and where treatment is spread.
Although technological progress has accelerated significantly, we still have a long way to go. As patient and consumer expectations of healthcare change, future healthcare systems must deliver more equitable, scalable and easily accessible care by leveraging the best emerging technology to address population-scale healthcare challenges. .
Arvind Vaishnav, Vice President, Head of Philips Innovation Campus (PIC), Bangalore
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by ETHealthworld. ETHealthworld.com will not be liable for any damages caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly)
