Healthcare is an industry driven by emerging technologies such as telemedicine, smart wearable devices, and EHR (electronic health records) that provide better access to health data and help patients and physicians communicate.
In 2021 and beyond, we’ll continue to see tech developments and revolutions, and all of them will be supported by one or more of these five emerging technologies in healthcare.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) for faster, more accurate diagnosis
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are everywhere, but they continue to be emerging technologies in healthcare. Hospitals and physicians have turned to AI as they look for ways to streamline services while controlling costs and saving time.
By definition, AI partially removes the human element from healthcare, and while this can take some of the human touch out of treatment, it can also improve patient care management by evaluating data for faster and more accurate diagnosis.
AI can immediately identify areas of health concern, saving precious time in focusing on cases that are more serious than others. Having the power to process large amounts of data at lightning speeds allows physicians to be much faster and more precise with their diagnosis.
In many ways, AI is the perfect doctor’s assistant, handling arduous manual tasks and freeing up physicians for more pertinent patient care.
Blockchain for super-secure data sharing
For many years, Blockchain has been viewed as the emerging technology in healthcare that will unlock the barriers standing in the way of safe data-sharing.
The main advantages of Blockchain technology in healthcare are that it renders data completely secure and unhackable, while also improving the transparency and traceability of data and giving patients more control of their health data via cryptographic keys and smart contracts.
Patients will finally be in control of where their medical data is available, and be able to make their information accessible to other hospitals as needed. The peer-to-peer nature of blockchain allows massive numbers of users to be on a common ledger, making data sharing a smoother operation.
The Internet of (Medical) Things brings wearables to life
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is revolutionizing the way healthcare is delivered. IoT technologies have been growing since they first appeared in 2008, but few industries have taken to IoT like healthcare. In fact, studies show that up to 30% of the entire IoT market is taken up by healthcare.
The benefits of the IoMT come to life through the use of medical devices and applications that connect to healthcare information and track and measure health data and share it with healthcare providers almost immediately.
The IoMT has also been a life-saving development for specific healthcare use cases such as insulin pens for those with diabetes to the treatment and monitoring of symptoms in cancer patients.
AR/VR for physician training and mental health treatment
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are not only changing the way doctors treat their patients, but they’re also improving the way doctors and surgeons in training learn about their craft.
AR and VR are invaluable in providing trainee clinicians with realistic simulations where the doctors of tomorrow navigate their way through lifelike dilemmas and surgical procedures, giving them the confidence and experience to perform such procedures with real lives on the line.
AR and VR aren’t only used for education. AR’s ability to provide real-time data allows surgeons to access life-saving information on the spot. At the same time, VR’s immersive capabilities help with stress relief and social skill training, which can improve anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even developmental disorders such as autism.
Telemedicine for remote connection and care
Few areas of patient care management have grown as much over the past few years as telemedicine.
The transition from in-person check-ups to those conducted online has been building for years, but it accelerated dramatically in 2020 as physicians and patients had to reduce the amount of physical contact due to COVID-19 regulations. But now that the cat is out of the bag, telemedicine is only going to continue thriving.
The development of patient management software has helped made telemedicine comfortable for patients, as has the increased use of wearable devices that collect real-time information and streamlining diagnosis.
Easy access to electronic health records and faster Internet connectivity has simplified remote diagnosis and treatment to the point where physically visiting a hospital for a simple check-up is no longer totally necessary.
Telemedicine was always an emerging technology in healthcare, but the COVID-19 pandemic has pulled it from the future and put it firmly in the present.
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