Two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted the dynamics in the healthcare industry. Innovation is accelerating, and growth is returning.
Hospitals will continue to provide the most complex care, but other services will be distributed. Patients will have access to a wealth of information, including direct Internet video communication with their practitioners.
Robots
Robots are increasingly being used to help a large number of people with cognitive, sensory, and motor impairments. They can assist with surgeries, power exoskeletons, and guide patients through physical therapy and recovery. Additionally, they can help support caregivers and aid the clinical workforce. However, a few technological and logistical challenges will need to be overcome before healthcare robots can become a reality.
For one, healthcare robots can be quite expensive, which makes them out of reach for many low-income people. Moreover, they require specialized training for staff and a significant investment of time in order to maintain them. Additionally, they can be prone to failure, and it can be challenging for healthcare workers to know how to deal with such failures.
Despite the costs and complexities associated with robotics in healthcare, many exciting developments point to a promising future. Some of these robots are already being used in clinical simulation and training. For example, the Pediatric Hal system from Gaumard Scientific is a life-sized humanoid robot that can breathe, bleed, and speak to provide healthcare trainees with realistic simulations of patient pathologies.
Another area where healthcare robots are making progress is in the automation of routine tasks. In hospitals, this includes storing and dispensing pharmaceuticals. This can reduce error rates and reduce the amount of manual labor required by nurses. Moreover, it can free up staff to spend more time with patients.
In the field of surgery, robots are able to access areas of the body that may be difficult or impossible for humans to do with existing instruments. In addition, they can also perform procedures that are less invasive. As a result, these advances could lead to faster and more accurate treatments for patients.
As these and other robotics technologies make their way into the healthcare sector, it is essential for healthcare professionals to keep up with developments in the field. By doing so, they can ensure that this new technology will be safe and effective for patients and healthcare workers alike. In addition, they can work with technologists and researchers to make sure that these systems are designed with the needs of stakeholders in mind.
Wireless Sensors
Wireless sensors allow healthcare professionals to monitor a patient’s vital signs and other health parameters without the need for physical contact. They also offer greater flexibility and scalability than wired sensors, making them suitable for use in a variety of healthcare applications.
These sensor devices have the ability to detect changes in their physical surroundings and communicate these observations with other sensors or computer systems. They can measure a wide range of stimuli, including air temperature, lighting levels, movement, and even liquid leakages. Wireless sensors can provide valuable insights into a workplace environment and help companies improve productivity and safety.
Increasingly, healthcare professionals are using WSNs to monitor patient health and track progress in recovery. This can be particularly beneficial for patients with chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, the technology is helping to improve access to healthcare services in remote areas.
Healthcare-related data transmitted through WSNs can be analyzed using advanced software and machine learning algorithms to identify patterns and predict health outcomes. This information can be used to develop customized treatment plans and optimize medication dosages. WSNs can also be integrated with telemedicine and telehealth platforms to enhance remote patient consultations.
WSNs use wireless communication to eliminate the need for costly wired connections and facilitate flexible deployment and reconfiguration. They are also energy efficient, enabling them to operate for longer periods of time with reduced power consumption. Finally, they can be easily expanded by adding or removing sensor devices as needed.
One example of a wireless sensor is an accelerometer, which can track movements and calculate the amount of activity that is being performed by a person. The data can then be sent to a smartphone or other device for analysis, where it can be shared with healthcare professionals or patients.
Wireless sensor networks are becoming increasingly popular in a wide variety of industries, especially healthcare. These technologies can reduce the time and cost associated with gathering data and can be used to monitor many healthcare-related variables, including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen level, and body temperature. This data can then be compared to historical medical records to identify trends and potential health issues.
Artificial Intelligence
Medical AI is an emerging field with a wide range of potential applications. Its rapidly advancing capabilities portend a future where a single patient’s data recorded across the entire care continuum can be compared against thousands or millions of similar cases to diagnose conditions, personalize approaches, assess the risks associated with each treatment option, and predict the outcome.
The use of medical artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has been growing rapidly over the past few years. Pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies, MedTech, and startups are actively working to deliver AI-based solutions in segments including patient monitoring & analytics, drug discovery & preclinical experiments, clinical trials, genomics, and robot-assisted surgeries.
However, new technologies should be designed not to replace human decision-making but rather as tools that complement and augment the expertise of healthcare providers. For instance, nurses have a high rate of injuries due to lifting and turning patients. AI-enabled robots can assist with these tasks and free up time for nurses to focus on patient care, communication, and education.
Generative AI (genAI) can help health systems by automating many administrative tasks, such as writing letters to physicians and patients, submitting prior authorization requests to insurance companies, or summarizing complex patient records. genAI can also be used to create diagnostic algorithms by analyzing large data sets of images, EHRs, and multi-omic, behavioral, and pharmacological information.
While the benefits of using AI in healthcare are clear, significant challenges must be addressed to realize its full potential. These challenges include the need for continued research & innovation, ethical guidelines for the use of AI in healthcare, trust-building & awareness, and collaboration between multiple stakeholders.
Despite these challenges, a majority of those who see bias based on race or ethnicity in healthcare and medicine believe that increased use of AI can make the situation better. Those who believe it would make the problem worse typically cite that AI can reflect human bias or that humans need to be involved in medical diagnosis and care. Overall, if these challenges are overcome, AI is expected to enable health systems to achieve a state of precision medicine.
Virtual Reality
With healthcare systems facing unprecedented change, the future of patient tables must be reimagined. Changing these tables will be a critical first step to creating a more inclusive healthcare ecosystem. This will allow for personalized and empowering care that is accessible to everyone.
In the future, patients may no longer have to visit hospitals, instead receiving hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes. Advances in digital health will enable this to happen. These technologies will allow doctors to monitor patients remotely and spot issues before they become serious. They’ll be able to spot changes in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and other indicators of health, which will be sent to the doctor. This will allow the doctor to diagnose diseases earlier and prescribe treatment faster than before.
This technology will also help patients manage their own health, with a range of wearable devices detecting changes in their bodies and sending them to their phone or tablet. They’ll be able to track their progress, set goals, and receive encouragement from a virtual coach. They’ll be able to see how much exercise they need, what foods they should eat, and whether their medication works. These devices can also monitor babies in the womb, ensuring they are growing and developing normally.
Currently, there are several barriers that must be overcome to implement these innovations. One is that not all medical professionals are familiar with these technologies. Another is that the technology can be expensive and requires a large investment to implement. This may cause some clinics to shy away from adopting these tools, especially if they can’t see how they can benefit their patients.
Despite these challenges, healthcare organizations must embrace the future of patients and provide a seamless and interconnected healthcare experience. This will require the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to improve clinical and operational processes. By addressing five key future trends—technology and data, workforce, consumerism, communities, and ESG—healthcare organizations will be better equipped to meet the demands of tomorrow’s patients.
