With massive developments in technology and digitization sweeping across industries, the healthcare sector has not been exempted from undergoing its own digital transformation.
From AI adoption to 5G technology implementation, the digital makeover of the healthcare and medical industries has helped minimize human error and sparked breakthrough innovations that have positively impacted physician workflows, operational efficacy, and patient outcomes. Moreover, it has also led to substantial cost optimization through mobile and web applications.
Recent digital transformation trends in the healthcare space signal how the landscape of the industry will change in the coming years. As this year ends, we can take a quick look at some of the most groundbreaking digital healthcare trends we’ve seen throughout 2022:
- Popularizing on-demand healthcare access
With almost 4 billion internet users globally, mobile apps are the key to increasing access to healthcare that is both convenient and timely. This is true for a variety of people who need regular access to primary care, including seniors, busy working Americans, people who live in remote areas, polychronic patients, and more. That’s why platforms like digital health concierge, Renee, were created — to act as a kind of “digital best friend” that can help Americans (especially polychronic and elderly patients) achieve better health outcomes and live their best lives with fewer health management burdens.
- Using VR to treat patients
Since 2018, Virtual Reality (VR) has been revolutionizing health treatments. Today, VR is employed by doctors to treat ailments like migraines, PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, etc. VR headsets and virtual scenarios have also been used to introduce patients with autism to unfamiliar scenarios that have real-world applications.
- The rise of predictive healthcare
Artificial intelligence and the hyper-specialized fields it impacts (like predictive diagnostics) have profoundly influenced patient outcomes through preventive healthcare innovation. Based on existing individual health records, AI can help predict possible ailments that might become major concerns in the foreseeable future. This information enables healthcare service providers to better manage their staff, facilities, and possible rates of admission.
- Adoption of Big Data
Big Data helps accumulate and analyze useful information from a wide variety of sources like social media, e-commerce transactions, and web cookies. The essential purpose of this data is to spot patterns in consumer behavior that are useful for improving services in the future. It can also help minimize the chances of medication errors, streamline preventive healthcare, and help hospitals allocate staff accurately across different departments.
- The popularity of wearable devices
The ongoing digital transformation of healthcare has helped patients adopt a more proactive mindset of disease prevention and health maintenance in their everyday lives — and in their style choices. Healthcare companies are now able to collect patient health data through highly sophisticated wearable HealthTech devices that come with features like exercise trackers, heart rate sensors, and pulse oximeters, which help gauge patients’ health status and can prompt them to seek medical advice, if needed.
Interestingly, only about 7% of healthcare organizations have claimed to have undergone digitization, in contrast to almost 15% of organizations from all other industries. Still, the digital transformation of American healthcare is becoming more evident to the outside eye. These are only a few of many other trends that have grabbed attention this year and are likely to create major headlines in the next few years.