The future of health tech
#Healthtech is not only fascinating but also hugely important to the betterment of treatment options and monitoring for this initial shift into digitalization of healthcare services. The next few phases thereafter will be focused on more prevention than healing. Ultimately being able to recognize and/or predict certain ailments before they even become noticeable in daily life. In this article, we are going to explore what is currently happening with tech and health and what the future of health tech might look like.
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Health tech today
When I first started this series I spoke about the patient health journey and touched on technology. I spoke about how the patient's journey has been influenced by advancements in technology and a little bit about how these changes can already improve treatment overall. In the last decade, we have seen an evolution of our understanding as a society of both physical and mental illness while continuously improving the way we treat patients. It is rather extraordinary how far we have advanced already. The global COVID-19 pandemic pushed that need for digital medical services even further. Leading to a massive push into monitoring devices, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes health-tech as the “application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives”. Today many of these examples are seen, particularly in chronic diseases such as diabetes. The monitoring of blood pressure and blood sugar levels is vital to the continued management of diabetes and has been improved for both patient and doctor by an array of devices. Digital appointments and online prescriptions/pharmacies have also improved the lives of many patients. Particularly those with mobility issues. But what are all the current methods used due to technological advancement in healthcare? Here are the top changes in medical care that are currently working and improving lives:
01 Remote patient management
Remote patient management, or remote patient monitoring, is often abbreviated to RPM and speaks of a system that monitors and collects data about the patient outside the traditional healthcare setting. The monitoring devices record physiological data on the patient and send information to the physician and even alert the patient when it is time to go to the doctor's office. There are a number of diseases this kind of daily monitoring assists. Such as diabetes, heart disease, or multiple sclerosis.
02 Telemedicine
Telemedicine is different from RPM in that it requires interaction between you as the patient and the healthcare provider and is a lot more akin to consultation than continuous monitoring. When you opt for telemedical services you will receive a remote clinical service which could be something like a consultation with your GP, a session with a therapist, or a follow-up on test results. This kind of service has made it possible for people that face all kinds of challenges to have access to affordable and specialised healthcare.
03 Electronic medical records
Though this might seem like it should always have been a thing it is not that simple. Medical care has been provided for many years, long before digitalization was an option. This meant that old ways were used, regulations needed to catch up, and infrastructure to be implemented. Now it is possible to have your entire record digitally. This has given physicians the opportunity to easily review patient files and share necessary information with other medical professionals.
04 Devices
Monitoring devices are not the only devices you will come across for health care management. For many people with chronic pain, there are devices that provide you with cooling, heating, or even electronic stimulus to relieve pain. An even simpler and more common device would be something such as a nebulizer that is hugely beneficial to people with asthma and other breathing-related issues. Other more intricate devices that facilitate feeding tubes or pain management spinal pumps for pain relief are all available and in use today. Some devices have assisted to improve the lifestyle of the patient and so improve the treatment.
06 Treatment
Often providing the necessary treatment has to do with proper monitoring and touching base with the patient on both the physical and mental strain. The use of telemedicine in combination with RPM and relevant devices has adorned a much more accessible treatment plan than had ever before existed. This shows that through health tech we are able to not only saves lives but improve lives.
Health tech in the future
We have looked at current health tech and seen that it has great value to the doctor and the patient from a health care perspective. It also allows the patient to have the confidence to participate more in their own advocacy and even in social events which will ultimately help to improve the mental health and physical health of the patient. So what is the next step from here, what is the next wave of health tech that will change the lives of all those in need of medical care? Well, we are still a long way from bringing the best health care to everyone we are drastically advancing forward in what we can make available. Here are just a few of my top picks for health tech in the future and why I think they are relevant:
01 3D printed prototypes/equipment
3D printing is a field that has helped to revolutionize things such as prosthetics and reconstructive surgery. For an amputee, it is the potential to have a prosthetic device made to your needs and specifications. Having a prosthetic that is meant entirely for you. Over time the technology will only improve and eventually, we might even have seamless prosthetics that can provide all the function back. Other breakthroughs include the development of a method for printing 3D-print living skin, along with blood vessels. In 2020, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, were able to create this and prove that we are so close to reconstructive surgery that will be undetectable.
02 Blockchain health
Keeping patient data safe is hugely important to the success of electronic health records. As we have mentioned these records have valuable data for researchers, physicians, and patients themselves. The one side of it all however is keeping the records safe and out of harm's way. Data breaches are a real threat to the information stored in electronic health records. Blockchain technology has the potential to offer a less costly and more effective solution to data security.
03 Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a popular aspect of tech advancement in a number of different fields. AI in healthcare is designed specifically to mimic human cognition and comprehension of complex medical and health care data. This gives way to customised treatment plans that ultimately yield much better results than the “one size fits all” approach we have had up until now.
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04 Digital therapeutics
Many patients with chronic illnesses require ongoing care in the form of medical advice, education, monitoring, treatment adjustment, and behavioural change monitoring. Digital therapeutics is the best way to stay connected with your physician or your patient and manage the disease. It also means that patients are able to attend all consultations regardless of mobility levels that day and will have lower costs for both the medical care provider and the patient. Diseases and conditions that have proven to benefit from this arrangement include diabetes type I and type II, cancer, anxiety, musculoskeletal pain, ADHD, asthma, migraines, insomnia, and substance abuse.
All of this just waiting on the edge to move us into a digital health age of enlightenment, awareness, and resolution. But this is just the tip of the iceberg that lies ahead. There is newer and more boundary challenging ideas out there that are shaping not only the healthcare industry but also the way we may interact with the world entirely.
Neuralink
For those of you that are in the medical tech world, you are likely not new to Neuralink. Neuralink is the implantation of a device that will sit flush with the skull and interface with the patient’s brain. The device is able to read the brain signals and over time give the brain patterns and signals that can be learnt through machine learning and AI. Initially, this will allows people that have some form of paralysis to communicate better and supply valuable data on brain function. The goal is to be able to eventually implant a second device meant to send signals which will hopefully bring back full functionality to the patient.
The company was founded by numerous people with backgrounds in neuroscience, biochemistry, and robotics. One of which is Elon Musk, a great contributor to the company. The idea was first brought to the public in 2017 and has grown much traction ever since, in both popularity and funding.
The true nature of the implanted device over long periods is yet to be discovered. Like all medical treatments, there will be unforeseen obstacles to overcome. That doesn’t mean that here lies a future for health tech that might just remove so many neurologically-based diseases. Though they are starting with spinal cord injuries first since that was an impact that can be traced back while a disease is a little bit more complicated. As the technology develops we will see great strides in the treatment of neurological ailments of all kinds. If not a cure it will likely bring a sense of peace to many suffering from things like uncontrollable pain, mobility issues, and other sensory problems.
What to take away
If there is anything to take away from this particular article, it is that we are just at the cusp of new medical healthcare dawn. There not only is general monitoring improvement but full-on AI tech that is now being implemented to start ensuring better care and early detection with the aim of prevention in the long run. Some amazing sci-fi beauty that is happening now, in our lifetimes. It is magical to be part of a generation that will see the development of fast symptom tracking and customized treatment plans for better outcomes.
If that weren’t enough, we are also witnesses to the emergence of brain interfacing technology that has the potential to bring back functionality to many people around the world. Though this will likely only come into fruition in some years, there is a good chance that I will be there to see it. To glance over at my peers and the youth to see a bright future where healthcare is not a struggle but rather empowering.
With all that said, I must take a moment to ask you to reflect on these changes. Yes, there is a great deal of potential to do good for people, but where there is potential it can go either way. There are still many kinks to work out before we have stable access to these treatment options for all. The future of health tech is certainly bright and brilliant, we must simply be prepared for unforeseen obstacles. We must come together for a holistic solution rather than rely on only one avenue.
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Author Notes:
My name is Damien and I am inquisitive, curious and many times stupefied, about all that tech has to offer the world. Most recently around the areas of AI, ML, and UX/CX in e-Health and Digital Health Journeys. All of my views expressed here are those of my own and do not represent the views of the ZurRose Group. Follow me on a journey through e-Health and tech in the healthcare industry.
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2yI must say this is one of the most exciting articles. have had many a long conversation abou the future of health and all the possibilities. I'k sure I will be writing (and talking ) a lot more about this topic and doing some deep dives (eg. Blockchain, Mental health) into specific areas.