Healthcare technology continues to grow and reach new heights. The new hot thing now is the digitization of the healthcare industry.
According to a Health Standards report, the market will reach $536.6 billion by 2025. In short, in just a few years, we will have another half-billion-dollar industry. That is because healthcare technology has seen a lot of trends lately that are exciting.
The purpose of this article is to share with you:
Upcoming trends in healthcare technology.
Trends you need to watch in HealthTech 2020
Healthcare hardware and software innovations taking place.
Let’s now begin
Medical Apps
One of the hottest things in the HealthTech is medical apps. According to Research 2 Guidance reports, there are over 325,000 healthcare apps in the market. With these apps, doctors and nurses can monitor the condition of the patients.
Most doctors believe that these apps can improve the patient’s health. They even use these apps to provide prescriptions to the patient. In other words, prescription has been digitized.
Medical Record Accessibility
One thing that Apple has done recently is releasing a new API to allow 3rd-party apps to have access to medical records. The new API will enable developers to create excellent apps that doctors, nurses, and patients to use. Patients will also benefit from these apps because they will access their records in real-time.
Patient Education
The great thing about having medical apps is that they give patients lab information results, they also help the patients understand drug interaction and communicate with the doctors. Since we are living in the information age, patients must get the right information and education.
That way, they can make informed decisions on the directions on their health. With these apps, patients will evaluate their signs and symptoms. For instance, apps like Caidr helps patients know how severe their conditions are. Best of all these apps can let patients know if they should go to the hospital or not.
Healthcare IoMT
Healthcare IoT(Internet of Things) is among the hottest technologies. Industries are seeing the rise of smart sensors and smart devices. The Healthcare IoMT is a half-billion industry and medical experts say that nearly 50% of IoT products will be used in the healthcare industry.
Asset Tracking
If you have gone to the hospital, chances are you have seen medical staff use things like laser scanners, medication bottles, IV bags, and many more. With all these staffs, medical professionals can make mistakes that can affect the life of the patient. Avoiding information like this means the patient will receive the right treatment.
For instance, scanners reduce the frequency and severity of mistakes. Shocking numbers from the World Health Organization states that:
You have 1 in a million chances of dying in a plane crash
You have 1 in 300 chances of dying while in a medical care
Yes, it is true some patients may be misdiagnosed, a lot of patients still die because medical staff failed to track the patient, their medication, and other medical assets.
IoMT technology is a great alternative to the standard barcode scanners. Instead of manually scanning patients. All patients need is to wear an RFID tag and the system monitors them. That said, IoMT is excellent in asset tracking.
Drug Management
One of the biggest challenges medical professionals face is drug management. Since, there are thousands of medications being given to patients daily, chances of error are high. With IoMT, it is possible to eliminate this problem since doctors will use the technology to manage the drug.
Some medical devices sound an alert any time a patient receives the wrong medication. And we also have IoMT devices inside the drugs which alert the system when the patient took the drug. Such kind of drug management is what doctors need.
Smart Biosensors
Smart sensors are on the rise. Research suggests that this market will surpass the $27 billion by the year 2022. Medical companies are going to the great length to create sensors that can think.
The beauty of having medical sensors is that they give you excellent data. Sensors can monitor the glucose level, heart activity, blood coagulation, blood gases, and other symptoms. When you also add the IoMT connectivity to these sensors, it becomes so easy to manage the medical conditions.
Big Data and AI
Big Data and artificial intelligence are also the top healthcare IT trends. While the growth of AI has been exponential, Big Data is also useful. Traditional data processing won't be able to sort any reams of terabytes. With AI you can sort useful data fast compared to traditional data processing.
Predictive Analytics
Although AI is not a crystal ball, its main function is to give out more insights and data on how doctors can treat their patients. That's because AI can analyze over 1,000,000 data points per patient. Best of all, it can predict when you are likely to get sick and admitted. With predictive analytics, a doctor can suggest treatment, detect diseases, and even genetic factors.
Blockchain and Cloud Solutions for Healthcare
Blockchain and cloud technology are also changing the healthcare industry and here are the three ways they are making the change:
Collaboration
With cloud services, doctors can share and transfer large amounts of data. Data like that can be shared for collaborating with healthcare practitioners.
Transparency
A lot of patients want to know their medical records. The laws give them the right to have such information at their disposal. With blockchain technology, doctors can share medical records while ensuring that the records don’t go to unauthorized persons.
Medical Robots
A robot may not give you the needed medical attention you deserve but it may assist a surgeon who wants to operate. The medical robot industry is expected to grow by $4.4 billion in 2026. A medical robot consists of a camera and computerized robotic arms. The robot will peer into the body and operate with instruction from a surgeon. The era where a robot will operate humans on their own, it is still not yet there. Their function has to be controlled by a surgeon. Outsourcing insight provides technology solutions to the world. If you want help, you can contact us today.