Advanced technical solutions have improved almost every aspect of our lives. Healthcare is no exception. From artificial intelligence to 3D printing, there are many ways to use technology in healthcare, and its benefits are impressive.
In this article, you will learn about how medical software development technologies are changing the modern industry.
Healthcare Technologies Market Overview
Technology in medicine is incredibly advancing, and doctors can now perform procedures that were unthinkable before. The healthcare segment has improved tremendously from up-to-date surgical techniques to innovative equipment. And the medical stats are astonishing. Just take a look at these numbers!
- The global digital health market was valued at over $200 billion in 2020. The latest forecasts say that by 2024, this figure will exceed $500 billion.
- Even though 66% of hospitals in the US already have apps available, only 2% of their patients use them. At the same time, an enormous 80% of patients say they would like to use their smartphones more to interact with healthcare providers. Hospitals seem to be struggling with digital engagement.
- The global blockchain technology in healthcare has been valued at $1.19 billion in 2021 and is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 68.1% from 2022 to 2030.
- In 2018, the global robotic surgery market was valued at $5.5 billion. By 2025, the industry’s value is projected to grow by 24.4% to over $24 billion.
Technology in Healthcare: 5 Ways They Are Transforming Modern Medicine
Major health technology trends link the digitization and use of data. This is not surprising since healthcare is not unique in this. Almost all businesses are changing to keep up with the demands of digital transformation. So here are the technology trends that you will likely see.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Healthcare
The most obvious example of AR and VR in healthcare is training surgeons. Innovations allow doctors to practice and improve their skills without being in the hospital. VR and AR medical are rapidly gaining momentum with their wide range of apps. From a business standpoint, it makes sense that such an exact industry as healthcare would invest in it for greater efficiency.
Medtech startup AccuVein is among the first who succeeded in implementing AR in healthcare. Using their technology, healthcare professionals now take blood samples easier and better – a handheld scanner projects onto the skin and shows nurses and doctors where veins are in patients’ bodies.
Online Symptom Checker
It’s some kind of calculator that asks users to enter data about the signs and symptoms of an illness and their gender, age, and location. Using computerized algorithms, the tool will display a range of conditions that can match the problems the user is experiencing.
Big Data Analytics
Big data provides adequate data, statistics, and figures to be processed with sophisticated software. It can help hospital owners, healthcare providers, and physicians manage more records and resources, eliminating the need for paperwork.
For instance, Flatiron Health uses big data to fight cancer. It uses billions of data points from cancer patients to improve research and generate new insights. Their solutions connect everyone involved in cancer care, from oncologists and hospitals to scientists and life science researchers, allowing them to learn from every patient.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
RPA-enabled bots are an essential milestone in healthcare information technology development. Health care providers can experience precision automation, cost reduction, workforce optimization, and even implement transformational change with know-how. For patients, AI algorithms can direct people to the right doctor by scanning their symptoms more accurately than traditional search engines.
A hospital in Dublin has recognized the value of RPA for automated reporting of COVID-19. Before the pandemic, the disease reporting function was largely manual, with nurses and administrators logging into the testing system, getting disease codes, registering in another portal via VPN, and manually entering the results. When the pandemic hit, the process was not feasible, so the managers decided to invest in RPA to automate the process. The RPA robot seamlessly enters the testing system, applies the exact codes, and enters the results into the correct system. This particular piece of automation alone saved about three hours of work a day.
Blockchain
Blockchain can provide new solutions to improve the security and protection of personal health data, one of the most critical aspects of building trust in the industry. Access to patient data is sometimes difficult because it is kept in a physical location that is remote from the provider who needs it at a particular time. Blockchain for healthcare solves this problem and also allows storing encrypted private data securely, with less file loss.
How Hospitals Benefit From Innovation in Healthcare
Developments in medical technology have revolutionized healthcare in many ways. Here are 5 key benefits of using technology in healthcare.
Medical Errors Decreasing
Starfield and the American Institute of Medicine (IOM) research states that medical errors in US hospitals and healthcare facilities are the third leading cause of death, with almost 98,000 deaths per year due to medical errors in hospitals. Fortunately, technology has enabled the development of systems proven to decrease errors and save more lives.
Easy Integration with Wearable Data Gathering Devices
The mobile application can even be integrated with wearable devices to gather heart rate, blood pressure, etc. The medical diagnosis app will collect daily updates on the users’ health status and store them in a database.
Reducing Healthcare Costs
A study by the University of Michigan states that the transition from paper to electronic records has reduced the outpatient care cost by 3%. These researchers estimated $5.14 savings per patient per month. In an extensive urban hospital network, this amount is valuable.
Improved Patient Education
Telemedicine innovations now allow patients to contact their caregivers at any time. New educational formats such as interactive step-by-step guides, educational videos, and text-based reminders empower clients to access helpful information and become more proactive in their care. Besides, it helps people get more personalized health education info based on their personal needs.
Easier to Predict Outbreaks
AI and big data play a crucial role in healthcare. Big data is a massive collection of data in volume and grows exponentially over time. Healthcare professionals can use AI-based data analysis and predictive models to understand and study many diseases properly.
Wrapping Up
The healthcare industry has been rising for a long time, and medical technologies are only picking it up. We are well aware that healthcare apps will benefit both the world and the industry.