2022 is about to end and the non-stop evolution of technology across different industry verticals doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon. Fortunately, due to the insane lockdown, the world seems to have adapted to the ever-changing digitized services, be it in regards to shopping, ordering food, and groceries and most important of all keeping tabs on their health via telehealth services, medical apps and other alternatives. Not just patients but even doctors have started leveraging the latest technology to fulfill their duties precisely and save lives even after maintaining a safe distance from their patients. The following post focuses on some of the top trends that have acted as a driving force in enhancing the healthcare industry today as well as what it will be like in the future.

Healthcare and Technology – Chocolate and Peanut Butter

I am sure you must have observed that over a few years, technologies have deepened their roots in the healthcare industry. Whether it’s about innovating something or finding an issue or curing a patient, emerging technology seems to have played a significant role, no two ways about it! Now what are these emerging technologies, well I am talking about none other than AI-driven technologies that have resulted in more savage global conditions including highly accessible and power-packed medical services across the globe.  

Now before we directly jump into the top trends of digital healthcare, it’s time to take a bit of a detour and understand why one should consider these digital healthcare trends in the first place. What is their importance? Some of the most intimidating technologies that have made a big boom across the globe include artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D-printing, robotics or nanotechnology. 

It has been observed that due to the severe rise in these technological innovations, healthcare professionals have started fearing that these technologies will soon take over the jobs of nurses, doctors and other professionals. In fact, some people have confessed that they often end up having insane nightmares about their children becoming highly addicted to virtual reality and the dreamy world. Well, I would like to put an end to these rumors, these are all half-truths, fake news and unreal dystopias. No matter how much I say the fear of the unknown will be there and it will be scary. So brace yourself up! 

Overall, till now it has been proved that technology has only managed to improve our lives and not the other way around. The only catch is to stay two steps ahead of it. If we follow this amazing results can be seen. By incorporating technological advances into the healthcare realm, even unsustainable solutions can be converted into sustainable ones. And above all, the results turn out to be pretty cost-effective, quick and way more effective than before. No wonder the present industry is a $2 trillion behemoth at a crossroads and to be precise the numbers aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. 

Still, wondering where is technology being used in this industry vertical? Well, I say everywhere, be it administrative work or performing surgeries, diagnosing patients, prescribing medicines and drugs, fitness, and so more. Let’s delve into the details. 

#1 Tech used in Admin Work 

One of the basic uses of technology in the healthcare industry is that it becomes very easy for hospitals, clinics and different healthcare organizations to handle all the money matters and admin work. A whole set of different technologies can be used to streamline patient flows. Moreover, all the tedious and monotonous tasks of predicting peak hours, calculating wait time, and scheduling the staff can be well taken care of here. 

In fact, all the preliminary questions are asked by the app itself to the patient, so you don’t have to worry about that. 

#2 Technology for Surgical Needs 

 Another crucial use of technology is to take care of all your surgical needs. You see after the incorporation of these disruptive technologies the risk ratio while performing surgeries seems to have decreased to a great extent. You see there are countries where robots assist in conducting a variety of operations no matter how major open-heart surgery it is or any kind of non-invasive procedure. Popularly known as robotic surgical assistants, you can find them in a wide range of shapes and sizes. In addition to robotics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality and virtual reality are also found in assisting doctors, surgeons to perform important tasks. 

#3 Drugs and Medicines

Now I am sure you must be wondering how technology can assist in dealing with drugs and other medications. Well, not just healthcare organizations but several pharmaceutical companies are also found in leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. In fact, due to this all the time-consuming tasks such as pinpointing certain chemical combinations can be well taken care of. Also, these technologies assist doctors in identifying what type of patients can benefit from this particular drug trial. 

#4 Fitness   

The next significant use of health tech is fitness. Fortunately, now you will come across a plethora of wearables, apps and other relevant tools and technologies. Whether you want to track your workout or check B.P., pulse, sleep schedules, calories consumed, reducing costs, etc all these aspects can be well taken care of by a reliable looking fitness app. 

 

#5 Reduce errors

Since everything is handled by these tools and technologies, all the unnecessary manual errors have been minimized to a great extent. In fact, the tech can assist well in detecting several deadly diseases such as cancer, with amazing accuracy. 

Moving on, it’s time to consider some of the most alluring Digital Healthcare Trends for 2023. 

Top Digital Healthcare Trends To Take into Account

#1 Telehealth

One of the most alluring and intimidating digital healthcare trends is telehealth. As the name implies, telehealth is all about making the most of digital communication technologies such as computing devices, mobile phones, tablets and so on. When the pandemic hit the world, with the help of these telehealth services, patients were able to receive help via telephone and webcams. Earlier, things couldn’t be possible that way! Fortunately, now we have seamless access to a wide range of medical applications. So whether you want to book an appointment with your doctor or receive a consultation or want any prescriptions. How is telehealth beneficial? 

• Enabling more and more people to access healthcare-related services
• Less but yet seamless contact between workers as well as patients
• Scheduling remote appointments
• Avoid any kind of negative consequences due to missed appointments
• Reduced the overall spread of illness 

#2 Artificial Intelligence

The next crucial trend to take into account is artificial intelligence. I am sure you must have heard of artificial intelligence before of course among other industry verticals but when it comes to healthcare. Numerous AI-based applications are developed to treat outside healthcare organizations. In fact, these technologies provide a great help in improving high-end efficiency with seamless information processing and decision-making. 

Right from analyzing CT-scan to speeding up different operational procedures, and more important, severe time is reduced for diagnosing cancer, leaving everything else on artificial intelligence. It may quite interest you to know that there was a time when cancer or any such serious disease was diagnosed by biopsy. What happened was, you never received a full picture of organ tissue. Fortunately, that’s not the case anymore! 

#3 Personalized Treatment

Now, who doesn’t like personalized services or customized services? Well, Another amazing healthcare trend is that the rate of engaging patients has increased way more! No wonder today, more and more hyper-targeted personalized health and wellness plans are increasing at a fanatic pace. 

Since every patient is different and so will be their needs and requirements. So to cater for each patient, different approaches are considered. And here most of the time, tools and technologies tend to suggest ways that treat patients to a great extent. 

#4 Apps for Employees

Another intimidating digital healthcare trend to consider is using healthcare apps for the sake of the wellness of employees. Not just patients, but even employees of your healthcare organization can receive benefits from this healthcare tech. In fact, more and more wellness apps have increased and assisted employees in taking care of their valued patients. 

Several corporate wellness retreats, workplace yoga and team-building events are no longer relatively new concepts but have become quite adaptable and acknowledged by all. Wondering how beneficial these wellness apps are? 

• Enhanced jobs – More and more healthcare employees seemed to have claimed that they love working more comfortably and with confidence in digital health tools. 

• Cost-effective solutions – With the increase in these kinds of wellness apps, employees no longer get more sick and of course, their productivity and efficiency seems to be increased to a great extent.  

• Personalized healthcare – Right from tracking weight to calorie count, and blood sugar levels, all the relevant user data can be shared with the providers.  

#5 Virtual and Augmented Reality

Well, I am sure what these concepts are since you have been so well-acquainted with Pokemon Go. However, having virtual and augmented reality in healthcare is a bit different yet way effective. You see these types of digital trends are found assisting in conducting numerous surgical training procedures. And you know what is the best part, both doctors as well as patients. In fact, several sources have revealed that these kinds of technology assist well, especially in regard to chronic pain management as well as taking care of overall mental health. 

So whether it is anxiety or any kind of phobia, or post-traumatic stress, healthcare professionals with the help of these AR and VR technology can offer the best possible services in real-time scenarios as well assisting those who are psychologically challenged.  

Conclusion

On and all, the healthcare industry is pretty booming! I mean people will have healthcare-related issues every now and then, this is something inevitable. So you will require more and more tools and technologies at your assistance. I hope the following post was worth the read. In case, if you still have any doubts or issues, feel free to mention them in the comment section below.