Top 5 Key Trends in Healthcare Innovation Accelerated by COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis is accelerating technological innovation across a multitude of fields, and healthcare is no exception. The pandemic brought some key trends that have made healthcare more effective at treating diseases, less expensive to the patient, and in addition more profitable to the provider.  This is one of those black swan unpredictable events where insurance, patients, and also healthcare providers will achieve a better outcome. 

A recent study in the US, showed that more than 65% of respondents accessed video telehealth services in the past year, up from 37% in 2019. And nearly all respondents who received medical services via telehealth say they would do so again in the future. Consumers cited convenience, the ability to receive care quickly, and the ease of access to health information as top reasons for using telehealth.

Seems that patients prefer healthcare delivery in smaller, more personalized and more convenient places such as physician groups and ambulatory surgery centers. In addition, the “where” we are when we receive healthcare services is becoming increasingly trivial due to the accelerated acceptance of telemedicine, virtual doctor visits, and the remote monitoring of patients.

Here are 5 key technological changes that COVID brought to the healthcare system, and how providers can make the most of these new trends:

1. Internet of Medical Things ( " IoMT " )

The Internet of Medical Things, known as IoMT, are medical devices, software, and applications that connect together. These devices link to cloud computing platforms, where the collected health data is collected, stored, and used for predictive analytics. Examples include remote patient care and monitoring of people with chronic or long-term conditions; tracking medication, and wearable medical technology, all of which allow a healthcare provider to have awareness of how a patient is doing, without them having to be standing right in front of them, which helps to provide health services to those who cannot afford regular in-person doctor visits. 

One interesting use case for IoMT is monitoring adherence using an "IoMT pill". After being swallowed, the pill produces a signal captured by a wearable sensor. This data is transmitted from the sensor to an app and is shared with the doctor. Data about patients’ activities gathered from connected medical devices provides an objective view. This is an alternative to relying on patients’ subjective reports on how they feel and what prescriptions they followed.

2. Telemedicine and the evolution of remote care

Telemedicine is a way in which patients and healthcare providers can use technology to interact and deliver digital health solutions. This could be over the phone, via Zoom calls, through email, or with text messages, all of which allow for long-distance care and consultation. 

Because there can be many ailments that don’t require much more than getting some information over the phone or continuous care that just needs monitoring, telemedicine has changed the way we “go to the doctor”. It used to be that for any and everything, you had to call a doctor and make an appointment, or visit an ER or urgent care center, just to get patient care for even minor issues.

Take Africa,  region of the world where health issues are the most critical. Out the 57 countries in the world suffering from a critical shortage of health personnel according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 36 are in Africa, which has 0.21 doctors for every 1,000. Digital Health could provide an opportunity for the development of African health systems given the high penetration rate of mobile telephones and mobile phone usage. The benefits of digital health include better patient care, increased revenue from health centers, more quality data for decision makers, and a reduction in the number of medical referrals. Telemedicine will ease the access to the limited number of specialists given the lack of doctors, particularly in rural areas. In addition, it will provide capacity building of health workers through e-learning.

3. Machine Learning & AI in Healthcare

Many leading healthcare providers are using AI and other algorithms to improve their existing workflows and automate their operations processes. Machine learning using artificial intelligence (AI) collects data to “learn” in order to improve performance or become more accurate at predicting specific diagnostics or outcomes.  Healthcare providers can apply machine learning to make diagnoses, predict potential future health problems, improve medical data record-keeping, or improve health outcomes while lowering healthcare costs.

The high-level use case for AI in healthcare is in helping to make sense of the huge amount of messy, unstructured data that’s available to capture and analyze. This can be medical image data such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans, as well as many other sources, including information on the spread of communicable diseases like Covid, the distribution of vaccines, genomic data from living cells, and even handwritten doctors' notes.

Nuralogix from Canada, patented technology, Transdermal Optical Imaging (TOI™), utilizes a conventional video camera in a smartphone or webcam to extract facial blood flow information from the human face in 30 seconds. NuraLogix's TOI based app allows contactless health tracking. using only a smartphone. They claim to be the world’s first app for contactless blood pressure measurement, without the need for a cuff or another wearable. The app also measures other physiological, physical and psychological indexes, including heart rate, stress levels, BMI and cardiovascular disease risks with medical grade accuracy based on research and clinical studies.

4. Personal Health Wearables

Wearables are all over the place, and fitness and wellness trackers and applications are growing at a rapid rate. From the Fitbit to Apple Watch, these smart mini computers are being used by millions of people to track their total steps, monitor heartrates, and various other physical activities. Juniper Research did a study that said activity trackers will be used by as many as 1 in 5 Americans by 2023.

And while wearables are everywhere from a consumers’ perspective, doctors are also using the data generated by wearables for increased insight into the actual health of their patients and also replace less advanced or secure methods of sharing sensitive medical data including printing data or emailing providers.

Next-generation wearable will be able to securely send data directly to a patient’s healthcare provider and payer to provide better accuracy, functionality, and real-time data analysis on the health of a patient. A physician could monitor everything from glucose levels to blood pressure with the goal of pinpointing variances much faster for more proactive treatment that will ensure a better outcome for the patient.

The new Apple Watch Healthcare measurements checks for unusually high or low heart rates in the background, which could be signs of a serious underlying condition. It also checks for signs of irregular rhythms that may be suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib). The ECG app uses the electrical heart sensor built into the Digital Crown and the back crystal to record a single-lead ECG similar to a Lead I ECG. In addition, the ECG app uses the electrical heart sensor built into the Digital Crown and the back crystal to record a single-lead ECG similar to a Lead I ECG. When a hard fall is detected, an alert appears and allows the user to easily call emergency services. With more and more tracking features added to the watch, the future of health is in your wrist.

5. Automation as a Key to Hospitals’ Long-Term Success

COVID-19 has forever changed the financial landscape of the Healthcare system. Hospitals are being forced to effectively reduce risk to protect themselves against future pandemics. They now have no choice but to address inefficient processes and technologies and implement automation to ensure long-term success. The structure that delivers the automation for these healthcare tools must be built with flexibility and future technology advancements in mind. 

COVID-19 has introduced a wave of automation and increased the need for unmanned work operations. As a result, there has been a major push for more automation and the need for safer and more efficient workplace. As Automation and AI gradually find their way into healthcare’s tool bag, it is critical for the infrastructure that delivers them to be automated as well.

Polytex from Caesarea, Israel delivers high-quality Workwear Management Solutions for hospitals and clinics. The company provides a complete automated solution for workwear collection and dispensing that reduce the likelihood of spreading disease. Studies have shown that hospital uniforms are commonly contaminated with dangerous micro-organisms. Instituting systems that facilitate frequent, convenient changes of clothing, with hygienic touch-free handling and full tracking and control, can dramatically improve workwear hygiene. These full-cycle automated workwear management solutions help prevent the spread of pathogens and reduce cost of operations to healthcare providers.

A new era of Healthcare post Covid-19

In many ways, the societal and behavioral changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic have brought patients and stakeholders closer to the healthcare system. It is believed that these changes will set the stage for this new era of healthcare innovation to emerge.

These new changes are good for everyone: patients, providers and insurers. Providers need to  take this unique opportunity to enhance the detailed plan to create a more personalized, deferential and stronger bond with their patients. To stay in the game, healthcare organizations must seek and apply new technologies and services to improve the patient and medical experience.

Igal Elon  is a global Sales & Marketing executive with 25+ years of experience in C-level positions with early-stage and growth startups. He has a natural curiosity for everything technology. Proven ability to assess and penetrate new markets, structure channels, partners, and sell directly to enterprises. Multicultural & Multilingual, Igal traveled and worked across multiple regions from North America, Emea, Latam, and APAC.

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