Healthcare has drastically changed over the past decade. With the introduction of new technologies and fewer providers available, the medical field has had to make changes. Unfortunately, some facilities still lack the infrastructure to provide patients with convenient care. Still, as more doctors, hospitals, and facilities adopt technology and digitization, the medical landscape will forever change for patients and medical staff. Here are a few of the most important trends in the medical field:
Preventative Medicine
AI and data have given healthcare the power to move away from a more reactive model. Instead of reacting to a patient’s symptoms by diagnosing and treating the underlying health concern, medicine can become more predictive and preventative. Technology can also reduce the risk of illnesses. For example, AI can predict the likelihood of some illnesses, such as sepsis and hospital readmissions.
AI tools in healthcare are predicted to increase in usage and value over the next few years, successfully being used to detect and treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s. Outside of these applications, AI can also reduce the need for manual clerical work, including detailed record keeping that’s usually performed by nurses and processing insurance claims.
Retail Healthcare
Healthcare business conducted through retail establishments will only increase in the coming years as outlets like Amazon and CVS offer healthcare services like blood tests, checkups, and vaccinations traditionally delivered by hospitals or doctors’ offices. In addition, as economic conditions lead more people to consider their healthcare budgets and compare costs, these retail outlets will become even more popular, compounded by other providers streamlining the customer experience to provide more convenient and cost-effective solutions.
Patients will choose retail health for primary care needs because traditional facilities are constrained by a lack of resources and fail to provide the same patient experiences. Additionally, retail healthcare providers are more accessible, especially to individuals in rural areas, and many don’t require appointments, making them a more convenient option.
Wearable Tech
Wearable devices have been popular for years, tracking an individual’s steps, heart rate, and sleep patterns. These devices will continue to provide basic information about an individual’s health to help them track their progress. In addition, simple devices to track blood oxygen levels and smart watches capable of complex body scans will give more people insight into their overall health.
Wearable devices will be equipped to provide detailed analytics to patients and their physicians to detect and warn of potentially life-threatening conditions faster than ever before.
Personalized Healthcare
Healthcare will become more predictive, and more people will use digital solutions for personalized care. Medical technology can evaluate patient data, assessing them for risk of developing certain diseases and illnesses. With personalized healthcare, a patient’s health indicators can be monitored with conditions predicted in advance and advice tailored to each individual’s unique needs. For example, physicians can use patient data to provide personalized communications based on someone’s health condition and lifestyle factors.
Digitization
Healthcare digitization facilitates widespread remote access to healthcare. For example, Telemedicine allows physicians to remotely diagnose and treat patients via software, platforms, and tools. This trend has accelerated in the past few years as patients and doctors learn the convenience of digitization. More primary care visits are now conducted via telemedicine instead of in-person doctor visits.
Other technologies will continue to play their important roles in healthcare, such as VR and AR, which can enhance patient well-being and allow doctors to improve their skills.
Biohacking
Many people take immune supplements to support their overall health. However, biohacking takes it to the next level by encompassing gene editing and other broad trends of hacking the human body to improve overall health. Now, products are available to help people improve their physical and mental performance while delaying aging through genetic patterns.
Biohacking is a DIY biology that allows individuals to engineer their own bodies while attempting to fix issues. Examples may include:
- Intermittent fasting.
- Taking certain supplements and smart drugs.
- Using wearable technology to track fitness levels and make improvements.
Robots
Robots are a crucial part of the healthcare system. They can be used to improve healthcare settings or individual patient outcomes by acting as a form of treatment. One application of robots being used in modern medicine is robotic exoskeletons being used to help paralyzed patients use their legs. Meanwhile, other patients are being injected with nanobots. As technology advances in the coming years, robotics and nanotechnology will become more mainstream.
For example, nanotechnology could improve drug delivery to reduce side effects and create more humane treatments.
Hospital Care at Home
Hospitalization is expensive, and hospitals are already overwhelmed with patients, making it difficult for individuals with non-emergency health problems to get the care they need. With remote monitoring and wireless communication, we’ll begin seeing more home-based monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment in the coming years. The rise of seniors in hospitals will drive this trend because people are living longer. With hospital care at home, doctors and patients can use technology like personal defibrillators to deliver life-saving treatments.
Simulations
Digital twins are a type of simulation becoming popular in the healthcare industry. With digital twins, healthcare providers can create data-informed models to simulate a system or process. For example, this trend uses a virtual patient to test drugs and treatments. Digital twins of human organs and other bodily systems allow doctors to explore pathologies and experiment with treatments without causing harm, making diagnosing and treating patients easier.
Provider Burnout
Doctors and nurses are at an increased risk of burnout because there’s a provider shortage. Burnout is common among healthcare workers, especially during a time when more patients are clogging up hospitals. Additionally, clinicians deal with so much data throughout the day they can experience burnout trying to understand it.
Trends in Healthcare
Many trends in medicine rely on technology. Unfortunately, many medical facilities lack the infrastructures to use this technology as soon as it’s available. Additionally, patients may be limited in the types of technology they can use based on their locations. For example, rural communities may lack internet access to meet with doctors virtually. Luckily, as technology evolves, so will the healthcare industry, making patient care more predictive to prevent serious illnesses.