The Healthcare Industry today is counted as one of the largest sectors in terms of revenue and employment generation. Comprising of medical centers, hospitals, clinical devices, healthcare equipment, medical tourism, telemedicine, insurance and more, this industry is growing rapidly with a large pool of expert and experienced medical professionals.
In earlier times, not every disease had a cure. But as times have changed with the technological advancements, the field of healthcare has been seeing brighter days. The biggest advantage that technology brings with itself is that it has helped improve the quality of life. In the past the average life expectancy of people was between 35-45 years which is currently increased up to 68.56 years. With the incorporation of technology in the healthcare industry it has helped save countless lives and also improved the quality of life.
While talking about how technology is benefitting healthcare, the first thing that comes to mind is some healthcare software and applications that have transformed the way the entire industry functions. If we talk about hospital management software, it comes with multiple applications from medical device integration to remote monitoring. But even after all this; it is astonishing to know that the healthcare executives are still dissatisfied because of the dearth of technology solutions. According to the American Medical Association, the biggest concern for healthcare marketing professionals is ‘technology’.
What’s more astounding is what more can be achieved in this field with the help of technology.
Ways in which technological innovations can help the healthcare industry:
These times are considered to be the most exciting era in the digital healthcare space. With the endless opportunities that are there in front of us, one cannot help but marvel at how advanced technological innovations can change the way we look at things.
Proactive Prevention:
A saying goes like “Prevention is better than cure”. The prophetic element of big data needs to be made use of to its maximum by the healthcare sector as it can accurately detect what is to come and can suggest medication accordingly. Many would benefit greatly if their health issue was addressed before it becomes an issue. Big data also reads the user’s information thus being able to know more about the history of the patient and the family. This is one of the major reasons why healthcare sectors need to invest in technology from now on, as the future that comes along with it is much brighter.
Artificial Intelligence
The most talked about technological advancement is ‘artificial intelligence’. Even for the healthcare sector, this seems to be the best time to utilize AI’s full potential. It is estimated that by 2021, the use of artificial intelligence in this sector is to go up at an annual rate of 40%- to 6.6 billion, which was 600 million in 2014.
Health Tracking:
There are healthcare software that can help greatly in health tracking. The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way people track their user statistics and vitals. At present one can track sleep, heart rate, steps walked etc, but with development in technology, one can soon personally monitor blood pressure, glucose monitors and pulse oximeter. It won’t be long before a phone starts reading the signs and tells a person that he might need to see the doctor. A heart monitoring app recently showed a man that his heart rate was higher than normal. When the man got it checked, the doctor told him that he had just avoided a heart attack. It won’t be surprising if soon the mobile phones will be telling people what is wrong with them before the doctors.
Virtual Reality:
It is said that by the year 2020, Virtual Reality is soon to become a 4 billion dollar business. And what better time than now for the healthcare sector to jump in on the bandwagon. VR can be leveraged to help the patients cope with pain or even provide them with a virtual tour of the health facility. VR can also help doctor to virtually meet their patients so that he can have a clear idea as to how to approach them. Sometimes, geographical boundaries can come in the way and therefore, VR helps connecting doctors and patients across borders.
No Human Errors:
It is a human tendency to make errors. This is reduced when technology comes into the scene. Even diagnosis can be full of errors if one does not properly read the symptoms. It is true that sometimes professionals prescribe wrong medication. The chances of such errors to take place can be reduced with the interference of technology. Big Data is used to analyze the user’s data and also prescribe medication accordingly.
For transformation in the sector of healthcare, the providers need to embrace technological advancements. Thus, the future of healthcare sector is much brighter with the inclusion of technology.