The healthtech industry is looking towards a bright future

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the healthtech industry like never before. A new dawn of healthtech innovation is here, with novel technologies aimed to improve the lives of patients and care providers alike, with sophisticated diagnostic tools to intelligent care. Limited access to healthcare providers, inefficiencies in the drug delivery system, andpatient management are all being addressed through tech-infused care.

Let us explore what could be the brightest changes that come about in the future of healthtech.

The rise of virtual consultations.

A shift towards cloud-based EHR.

Electronic health records are an ideal solution for streamlining health information and better patient care. The role of EHR is improving in healthcare as alarge number of patients’ data is getting digital and the patients are enabled to access their health records. As more and more patient data is included, the providers need reliable technology to handle this sensitive information instead of loading up the physical servers. So the providers are shifting to cloud servers considering the key benefits like data security & privacy, scalability, advanced search, cost-effectiveness, and faster data exchange. Many healthcare software companies are developing their EHR products in the cloud to keep pace with the industry advancement.

Data analytics & interoperability for public health.

The Covid situation spotlighted interoperability for secure patient data exchange and data analytics in healthcare for better public health. An interoperable healthcare system will significantly improve the response to Covid-19. This helps the clinicians reducing the time spent tracking and segregating the testing reports.

Now that the vaccination is under process, the health system will require strong data analytics and a tracking system to keep pace with the process. The data interoperability between EHR platforms and healthcare systems will be vital to keep track of vaccination across the nation. This will be a crucial factor for the health system to store records if a person moves to another place or change healthcare providers for thesecond dose of vaccination.

New federal interoperability rules were set out to get better access for consumers to their health information but it requires health organisations to bring in new technologies and best data-sharing standards to achieve it.

AI and machine learning to reduce clinical workload.

The healthcare industry had heard so much about the advances in AI but now, in 2021 and beyond, it will start seeing the impact in their operations that are highly beneficial and scalable.

Out of necessity, the providers are adopting natural language processing for touch-free interactions and seamless transmission of patient's data across the EHR. Also, automated chatbots for diagnosing symptoms will roll out.

HIMSS20 panellists noted that the high-level usage of AI in healthcare will thrive to deliver personalized care. These may involve machine learning and algorithm that used to detect heart disease and cancer accurately; therapy assisted by robots for stroke and virtual assistants that aid with medication reminders.

Remote patient monitoring for patient-centred care.

A major shift in the hospital design and cleaning technologies.

To maintain sanitary in the hospital premises, healthcare providers are on the lookout for the tools to manage vital tasks like habitual cleaning and implementing good hygiene. The hospitals and clinics are modifying their check-in processes and layouts to avoid the bottleneck and identify contractable visitors before they enter the premises.

Also, the advanced technology tools will be deployed in the hospitals like the following: Autonomous robots that discharge ultraviolet lights to sterilize the rooms in very little time, deploying thermal cameras at the entrance to automatically detect body temperature of the visitors and implementing RFID technology to oversee how frequently the hospital staffs are washing their hands.

The hospital building design transformation has become a necessity in the pandemic situation. The design changes will include convertible spaces to lodge the critical care patients, plastic walls or transparent glasses will be implemented to view infected patients, installation of touch screen kiosks and buzzers to avoid clustering.

Wearable technology in delivering genuine value

Wearable technology is beyond a fashion trend now. From smartwatches to other wellness devices, technology plays a major role in providing exclusive and real-time data. Apart from smartwatches, fertility tracking, sleep tracking and biomarker monitoring devices are put to habitual use. Wearable technology has become a catalyzer that provides valuable insights about the patient for better treatments.

This will get far in preventing or offering treatment for chronic diseases providing personalized care. These data extracted from wearable devices are not only helpful for providing treatment but also for the researchers which can be used under privacy restrictions. The healthcare technology companies in India are now focusing on producing wearable devices with greater accuracy to track advanced biometrics.

The pandemic as a propellant for healthtech

The Covid-19 scenario has blown away the barriers blocking the way for the adoption of digital healthcare. These rapid developments, though exciting, will challenge healthcare IT solution providers in deploying the latest technologies into their healthcare solutions. The outgrowth of these technologies will bring desirable effect in the future of humanity.

As a leading provider of technology solutions and cloud services for healthcare, we have unlocked the digital capabilities for our clients across the globe who are seeing better outcomes in partnership with us.Get in touch with us if you require any healthcare IT solutions. Let us take the technology barrier out of your way.