2020 saw the healthcare technology industry achieve progress by leaps and bounds, partly due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Like most major industries, healthcare is progressively embracing what modern technology has to offer, from cloud storage systems to virtual appointments.
Studying industry-shaping trends is essential to understanding the healthcare technology industry’s general direction and potential moving forward. Although most professionals prefer well-established systems over unproven innovations, supporting novel inventions is paramount to evolving and overcoming new challenges as they arise.
Healthcare Technology Trends
Telemedicine: No Distance Is Too Great
Telemedicine is a form of virtual health technology that allows patients to attend their doctor’s appointments without physically visiting a healthcare facility. Thanks to quarantine and social distancing guidelines, telemedicine became quite popular in 2020, and experts expect it to grow even after the pandemic passes.
However, much of telemedicine’s success is attributable to patient adoption. Widely accessible video chat services like Skype and FaceTime have proven invaluable for telemedicine. But like anything internet-related, online security remains an issue. Currently, the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) maintains guidelines that ensure only authorized DEA-registered providers have access to ePHI (electronic protected health information).
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
Thanks to advancements in wearable gadgets, patients can track and prevent chronic diseases without visiting healthcare facilities – an achievement that medical professionals would consider inconceivable decades ago. IoMT is an emerging phenomenon in the world of healthcare technology that combines IoT’s potential with telemedicine’s convenience.
Wearable devices like EKG and ECG monitors can measure and maintain records of vital signals, including blood pressure, glucose levels, temperature and heart rate. In 2020 alone, healthcare gadgets accounted for 30% of the IoT devices market. As a testament to this emerging technology’s growth, industry experts project a steady rise in the IoMT devices’ market to a total value of $136 billion by the end of 2021.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality’s introduction to the healthcare industry is perhaps more incidental than intentional. Initially intended for entertainment purposes only, medical students currently use VR to simulate emergency room situations and other work-related scenarios in a realistic yet safe environment.
But the benefits are not reserved for healthcare professionals only. Some senior living facilities have begun testing the effects of VR headsets on patients with concerns like cognitive impairment and dementia. The results so far have been positive, with some subjects reporting improvements in their emotional well-being and the ability to unlock memories.
3D Printing
Long gone are the days when healthcare facilities had to purchase every bit of equipment. Armed with a 3D printer, basic knowledge and some creativity, healthcare professionals can print medical tools using buildable material like plastic. Some healthcare-specific 3D printers can use stem cells to create organoids or create artificial bones and cartilage for customizable prosthetics and surgical reconstruction.
The Future Is Bright
The tech world never stops. With digitization becoming the norm in the healthcare industry, medical services will only get better as the years pass.