The healthcare industry has always been a front-runner when it comes to innovation. Whether it was the smallpox vaccine in 1796, the stethoscope in 1815, or the penicillin in 1955 – innovations in healthcare have given humankind a new direction every century.
Researchers and healthcare professionals are always looking for new ways to improve the effectiveness of medicines and procedures so that patients can get the best treatment. This blog will look at some of the more recent innovations in the healthcare industry that are shaping the future of human healthcare across the globe. So, let us dive in.
1. Big Data and Analytics
The Healthcare industry is one of the biggest data producers, accounting for almost 30% of global data. The data includes patient records, diagnostic details, medicine records, and countless valuable pieces of information. This has led to MedTech start-ups that use this enormous data to create solutions to facilitate different healthcare activities.
Nowadays, it is common for professionals to use software to store patient records digitally. It enables them to use analytical tools to identify trends, predict ailments, analyzes the success rate of different treatments, and many more valuable insights to improve medications and treatment procedures.
Big data also helps in the better management of healthcare centers. The hospitals now use management tools which interactive dashboards to monitor bed/ward occupancy, staff-to-patient ratio, cost per patient/department, and many more vital metrics to improve the efficiency of their management.
2. Telemedicine and Remote Care
The next most impactful trend in the healthcare industry is telemedicine or remote care. As the name suggests, telemedicine uses technology, especially computers, phones, video, and messaging apps, to connect patients with healthcare professionals.
Originally telehealth was used to provide healthcare services to elders in remote areas with scarce or no healthcare centers. However, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has made telehealth even more popular, with utilization levels ranging from 13 to 17 percent across all medical fields.
Remote care reduces the load on hospitals and saves beds and equipment for critical patients. It also reduces the use of protective gear like PPE kits which can help hospitals avoid shortages, especially during pandemics like the Coronavirus.
3. Artificial Intelligence
Today, every industry is trying to leverage artificial intelligence to improve its processes, and the healthcare industry is no different. Most enterprises use AI to replace the manual workforce and enhance the efficiency of their workflow. Although AI cannot replace expert healthcare professionals, it can reduce their workload.
The most common application of AI in healthcare is chatbots. These chatbots help patients book appointments with doctors or provide answers to frequently asked questions.
But that is not all. AI has helped the industry accomplish much more than that.
AI combined with robotics can perform complex procedures more effectively. For instance, Surgeons at the Maastricht University Medical Center, Netherlands, created an AI-assisted robot to stitch very narrow blood vessels. AI-powered machines can also store data from operations for future analysis.
4. 3D Printing
The Healthcare industry is the biggest user of 3d printing technology. The most common use cases include creating anatomical replicas for research and training students. But there are more complex applications of 3d printing in healthcare as well.
3d printing creates lightweight casts for fractures, orthopedic and dental implants, and prosthetics. The technology has allowed manufacturers to customize products to the needs of each patient.
But the healthcare industry did not stop at prosthetics. In 1988, researchers came up with the concept of bioprinting or 3D-printed organs. Later in 2014, an American company successfully engineered 3D-bio-printed human livers and kidneys.
5. Virtual and Augmented Reality
The entertainment and consumer tech industry heavily uses virtual and augmented reality tech to create content and games. But healthcare industry uses these technologies in actual treatment processes. Healthcare centers use VR in rehabilitation, exposure, and distraction therapy for pain and anxiety management among patients.
As for AR, the MedTech start-up AccuVein uses AR to improve how healthcare professionals draw blood from veins. AccuVein’s scanner projects red light over the patient’s skin to show the exact location of veins in the body. The scanner makes it easier for doctors and nurses to find veins.
Medical institutes and research centers also use AR and VR technologies to create 3D simulations for trainees to learn about human anatomy and even practice surgeries.
6. Retail Clinics
Retail clinics make getting treatment for diseases more convenient. Patients can find these clinics in pharmacies, convenience stores, and supermarkets. These clinics specialize in treating minor illnesses such as colds, coughs, fevers, and allergies.
Retail clinics not only make it convenient for patients to get immediate treatment in their nearest pharmacy or supermarket. But it also reduces the crowd of patients with minor illnesses in healthcare centers. Remote clinics take the burden off the hospitals, allowing doctors and nurses to attend to critical patients.
Also, when 1 in 4 Americans skip seeking medical help due to expensive hospital bills, retail clinics are making affordable healthcare accessible to all. According to research, visiting a retail clinic is around 40% cheaper than visiting a private practitioner and 80% cheaper than visiting a hospital.
7. Wearables and Fitness Trackers
Wearables and fitness trackers are the hottest gadgets in the market. These devices come in many forms, the most common being a smartwatch. These devices are innovative in the way they house multiple sensors in to measure pulse, heart rate, and blood pressure in such a small form factor.
But what is more innovative is that they have managed to gamify health and fitness for users. People can set daily targets, whether the distance they need to run, the calories to burn, or how much they need to eat and sleep. Then just focus on achieving those targets and leading a healthier lifestyle.
To Conclude
These top innovations have profoundly impacted the healthcare industry in recent years. Most of these innovations aim to assist healthcare professionals in doing their job with greater accuracy and efficiency. But they also make it easier for patients to get treatment.
But these are just a handful of readily available examples in the healthcare industry. Many more research and projects are underway that will further improve medicine and treatment procedures as we know them today.