Over the past few years, medicine has been developing at a rapid pace. According to Delloite’s forecasts, in 2022, the volume of expenditures on the global healthcare market will amount to $10.059 trillion. Future technologies, people’s special attention to their health, scientific research, and discoveries – all set trends in healthcare software solutions.
As an expert in digital medicine, Exoft is constantly developing technologies to provide high-quality solutions in four main segments. Those are telemedicine, mobile healthcare, medical analytics, and system solutions. Each of them is aimed at improving the lives of patients, additionally facilitating the work of a doctor.
Table of Contents
Here are the top 10 trends in digital healthcare you should look at:
10. Digitalization of medical infrastructure
Maintaining an electronic patient card and electronic prescription turnover creates access points to specialized medical applications, monitoring databases of diseases and therapies based on Big Data.
The advantages of maintaining electronic databases are the possibility of parallel treatment of the patient by doctors of different profiles and living in different countries. As well as speeding up and reducing the cost of providing medical care.
9. Preventive medicine
Digitalization provides a foundation for commercially profitable projects with interesting business models. For example, AI algorithms can read the heart rate, identifying the body’s borderline stress states and predicting the development of chronic diseases.
8. Services for the elderly
With the increase in the number of chronic diseases and the overload of the health care system, the need for alternative ways of caring for the elderly will increase.
Gadgets to track vital signs and warn medical professionals ad hoc about the deterioration of a patient’s health are getting more popular.
7. Medical sensors in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)chain
Thanks to miniaturization, customization, and digital signal processing sensors that are penetrating various areas of healthcare. Compact sensors are entering the market that allows the patient to diagnose independently.
In the future, IoMT will imply seamless integration with health monitoring systems. Along with the diagnosis process and the appointment of therapy.
Innovations in neurophotonics allow us to recognize muscle signals. Also, transmit them to the prosthesis as commands to perform gestures or actions.
6. Smart clothing
For most of us, gadgets mean smartwatches, fitness monitors and heart rate monitors for the wrist. This view is outdated.
A promising niche is “smart” textiles for healthcare: you can weave electronics into clothes (Xenoma, Japan), blankets and pillows (German VISSEIRO), dressings (a project led by Dr. Ali Tamayol from the University of Connecticut), or shoes (Digitsole, France) to perform specific functions for monitoring the physical condition and caring for the patient.
5. Resources for improving medical literacy for non-professionals
The World Health Organization notes a direct relationship between critical health indicators (for example, a high mortality rate) and the incompetence of the population in health issues.
The platform “DoctoriA” has created information groups on common diseases. In addition to viewing information materials and videos, users can consult with specialists and other patients on topics such as diet selection, preventive therapy, sports load, rehabilitation methods, and so on.
4. Spot treatment of oncological diseases
The innovations of targeted medicine are connected with developments in biotechnology and cover a wide range of areas, from biopharmaceuticals, artificial insemination, and gene editing to protein design and drug development.
Point medicine in combination with analytical platforms is effectively used for the treatment of cancer and other previously incurable diseases.
3. Remote monitoring of the patient’s condition
Remote monitoring tools include a mobile device and an analysis module, allowing you to monitor patients with chronic diseases (diabetes, oncological and cardiovascular diseases, apnea, degenerative diseases of the nervous system) outside the hospital ward.
2. AI in telemedicine
Operational diagnostics, analysis of rare diseases, selection of drugs, development, and search for molecules using digital libraries are just some areas of AI application. In combination with innovations in sensor technology, AI allows for remote examination of the patient.
However, contrary to the expectations of futurologists, the goal is not to replace the medical staff with a digital doctor but to support medical expertise in the choice of treatment methods.
Automation and digitalization will help medical professionals to act more productively. More attention will be paid to mental, analytical, and social skills, less to repetitive, administrative tasks.
1. Mobile Apps and Fitness Gadgets (mHealth)
According to a Deloitte study, by 2025, people will pay more attention to constant health monitoring instead of occasional visits to the doctor. That’s why fitness gadgets are resonating with consumers.
