Before Visiting the CES 2023 and getting insights from JP Health Event in Jan 2023, we listed the top 7 healthcare trends that could impact the industry in 2023, from AI to robotics that will become determinants of health.
Health wearables, medical robotics, and regulatory approvals are all changing healthcare. Thus, healthcare leaders must stay abreast of industry trends to stay ahead. They can then identify opportunities to grow their businesses and improve patient care and employee well-being.
Mobile technology has made patients more self-sufficient. Patients and providers are transforming healthcare by taking a “proactive” rather than a “reactive” approach. Self-advocacy and patient engagement improve clinical outcomes and quality of life. 1 To keep patients engaged, healthcare leaders should personalize each patient journey without barriers.
Patient engagement solutions—wearables, educational resources, and mobile apps—are expected to reach $USD 74.28 billion by 2030, up from $USD 13.42 billion in 2021.
Health organizations prioritize patient experience to engage patients. Many businesses, especially consumer retail, reduce friction by simplifying processes. Healthcare providers must realize that patients are customers who will switch to competitors if experiences are not reliable, transparent, and easy to navigate.
Healthcare leaders should consider these factors to improve patient engagement:
- Patient data accessibility
- Digital patient experience
- Effectiveness
- Humanizing
- Appreciating work culture
2. AI-driven healthcare (AI)
AI could improve patient care and streamline healthcare system workflows. Most experts agree that healthcare AI must be patient- and staff-centered.
AI affects many healthcare areas, including:
- Enhancing patient care
- Enabling physicians to improve work performance and work/life balance
- Helping hospitals deliver quality care while maximizing resources
Healthcare leaders should be aware of early AI bias in algorithm development. AI can have a bias because of how its creators choose or use data, which is similar to how people have biases. AI-based algorithms must include diversity and underrepresented groups.
As regulatory agencies get more involved in AI development, leaders must also figure out how to protect patient privacy and make sure algorithms are clear.
3. Medical robotics
Healthcare robotics is a new trend. Healthcare robotics can reduce workloads. Using automation and AI, these machines can move patients, help with surgeries, and deliver vaccines to people in remote areas.
In Japan, robots assist nurses in reception areas and guide patients to hospital rooms.
Robots or sensor solutions like SenSightsCare, in nursing homes, monitor falls, move people, deliver goods, and comfort patients. Robotics in assisted living may reduce long-term healthcare worker turnover.
To prevent disease transmission, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated safer, more effective sterilization methods. To address this issue, hospitals and other clinical settings adopted UV-C autonomous disinfection robots. This protects medical staff and patients from infectious diseases.
Drone industry expert Bill Wimberley, Head of Business Development, WINGCOPTER GmbH, lists five drone use cases that will transform and improve healthcare:
- Transporting hazardous materials and blood
- Vaccines and medications
- Diagnostics
- Transplants
- Small medical device transport
4. Mental health funding will increase significantly
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost jobs or lived alone, highlighting mental health as a healthcare megatrend. Mental health services also suffered. According to the World Health Organization, anxiety and depression increased 25% worldwide during this time (WHO). WHO created its Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 to improve mental health services by promoting support and leadership.
Digital mental health solutions are gaining investment.
5. Wearable or contactless health monitoring
As people take control of their health, wearable healthcare technologies are sweeping the healthcare industry. Health wearables enable data-driven, proactive care for clinicians and patients. Digital health software and hardware also collect vital data and biomarkers for disease prevention.
Wearables have been shown to benefit mental, cardiovascular, and exercise health. On top of that, there is a new trend to implement contactless or device-less solutions like Veyetals that do not require the patient to wear any device and improve patient compliance due to ease of use.
Wearable devices, mobile technologies, and medical wireless biosensors can be used in clinical trials to collect real-time data from participants at home, making it easier for patients to take part and improving clinical outcomes.
Healthcare executives must learn how to integrate health wearables and another tech as people become more tech-savvy.
6. Addressing staffing shortages, clinical burnout, and retention
Retirement, burnout, and employee retention cause healthcare staff shortages. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 5 healthcare workers quit, highlighting these issues. 17 Universal healthcare by 2030 will require 18 million healthcare workers and 9.9 million nurses and midwives, according to the WHO. Because of global aging and longer lifespans, 18 long-term care workers are required.
Encourage flexibility in clinical workflow and carer leave, adopt digital care innovations, provide an ergonomically friendly environment, and create new roles to attract and retain staff. As technology changes, people in charge of health care must come up with new, balanced ways to hire and keep staff to make sure the highest quality of care.
As we seek staffing solutions, this global trend is on everyone’s mind in the healthcare industry.
7. Expanding telehealth use
Telehealth has been around for years, but the pandemic brought it to the forefront as patients became wary of in-person visits and staff shortages increased worldwide. Thus, many healthcare trend lists include telehealth.
Patients with non-emergency conditions can use their computers or mobile phones to schedule remote, live-video appointments with their doctors. Telehealth systems also let patients message providers and organizations about prescription changes and insurance questions. It gives patients quick health education.
Telehealth systems also integrate patient visits and test results into electronic health records, making it easier to have a patient’s entire history in one app. When linked to health wearable data, telehealth helps patients stay involved and take charge of their care, which is especially important for long-term conditions like heart disease and high blood pressure.
As telehealth systems grow, leadership teams must make sure that people in rural areas and with disabilities have safe, reliable, and fair access.
Many healthcare organizations differentiate themselves with seamless telehealth user experiences. Telehealth will continue due to its convenience and ease of access.
8. Protecting health data.
As cloud computing and telehealth systems become more common, people in charge of healthcare must protect the data of both patients and staff.
To protect data, many healthcare organizations are discussing blockchain technologies.
Blockchain, a peer-to-peer decentralized distributed ledger technology, makes digital asset records transactional, transparent, authenticated, and unchangeable. Blockchain allows patients to share and monetize patient-level data without compromising privacy by using cryptographic access keys. Blockchain can boost health system workflow efficiency. 33,34
Data protection evolves. Every new technology that mines large amounts of data presents new challenges in data security. As they innovate to maximize patient data, companies must incorporate data privacy and security plans to build patient trust.
In Summary
From Remote Monitoring to security to enhancements in telehealth to the enhanced user experience of patients using technology like Veyetals and Contact-less Fall Monitoring using AI/ML – Healthcare is always changing, as the COVID-19 pandemic showed. Leaders can identify which sectors to invest in to add value to their organizations by highlighting the rapidly advancing areas and key trends in healthcare. Stay tuned with us at MarkiTech.AI where we focus our efforts on emerging trends in digital health.
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