Throughout the course of human history, medicine has been one of the key drivers of progress. The most relevant matters of life and death, of extending life spans and improving humanity’s wellbeing have provided the necessary impetus for medical innovation.
As the technological advances accelerated in more recent human history, so to did the pace of groundbreaking technological innovations in medicine. And just as technology shapes and powers the world of today at an unprecedented scale, the area of MedTech continues to be one of its most dynamic and eventful playgrounds.
Further accelerated by the most pressing and urgent challenges placed before us by the ongoing pandemic, innovative solutions and substantial steps forward are taking place in MedTech almost on a daily basis. In an attempt to capture the main lines of this incredible pace, we will highlight the most relevant current trends in health care, as they are highly indicative of where the industry is headed.
This is our round-up of the most important, interesting, and telling MedTech news and analysis from the early days of 2021.
What are the current trends in health care?
Looking ahead: As always, the end of the year has brought an opulence of industry predictions and analysis of where things are headed. And while there was no shortage of lists of trends and technologies to choose from, we have settled on one that is concise, informative, and fairly objective in its assessment of the dominant technology trends in MedTech of today. (Analytics Insight)
Industry shifts: If you want to know where the industry is headed, simply follow the moves of some of its most prominent players. Canada’s fastest-growing telemedicine company CloudMD has capped off its recent run of M&A activities (which included acquiring mental health institutions, residents, employee health services, and beyond) with the acquisition of Medical Confidence, a healthcare navigation platform with a track record of reducing wait times for appointments and procedures and much-improved access to care and return-to-work times for the workforce. The acquisition highlights the growing importance of telemedicine, not just in the context of the pandemic, but also beyond it. (Yahoo Finance)
A long-distance relationship: Speaking of the importance of telemedicine through the pandemic, tech giant (and HTEC partner) Intel have awarded a grant to a New Mexico-based digital health company Electronic Caregiver. The grant is intended towards the company’s Covid-to-home program, which aims to free up hospital beds by providing a platform for the home treatment of less severe cases of COVID-19 through daily symptom assessment and testing of several relevant health parameters. (Healthcare Global)
Paradigm shift: In a well-argument article, an American physician writes on the impact of isolation, lack of physical activity, erasure of work-life balance, and other dire effects of the pandemic on our physical and mental wellbeing, and how it has lead to increased awareness and concern for our wellbeing, ushering in a new era of “patient-controlled health”.
Bridging inequality: The medical section of the recently held virtual edition of CES 2021 has placed a great focus on addressing the disparities in healthcare access based on wealth and other social factors, highlighting virtual medicine solutions that can help bridge the gap and reduce inequality. (Everyday Health)
Universal access: CES 2021 has also awarded a great deal of attention to inclusive tech and the issue of accessibility, showcasing innovative products and solutions that enable people with different types of disabilities to access modern-day technology. (C Net)
