The healthcare industry comes with a lot of revolutionary proposals. From telemedicine to remote participation thanks to Artificial Intelligence, is giving something to talk about and changing patient’s lives.
The world has changed significantly in the last ten years, and moreover since the Covid-19 pandemic. This new scenario is inviting many industries, (yes, healthcare too), to take a rapid response and put to the test their innovative ideas.
Nowadays, with the financial downturn, and an acceleration in the adoption of technology and digitalisation, the landscape has changed for everyone.
The healthcare industry, along with telehealth, is a multi-billion industry that keeps improving and testing its delivery to bridge the gap between hospitals and homes. Why? According to SecureMedical, there are three main reasons:
- Telehealth improves care access, especially for rural and underserved patients.
- It can help reduce costs by reducing unnecessary office visits and hospitalizations.
- Provididing more convenient and flexible care can improve patient engagement and satisfaction.
As seen, the telehealth industry is growing fast and providing a service that facilitates the connection between health professionals and patients. This technological improvement is possible and empowered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is changing the healthcare system for good.
So what can we expect from the healthcare industry in 2023? Here are 4 to watch out for:
Stay-at-home hospitals
According to a report made by Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, 70% of ICU beds are occupied at any time. As a result, there’s an urgent need for a better bridge between hospitals and homes.
Telehealth is the bridge that both patients and doctors were expecting. This service improves care access and facilitates the connection between doctors and patients, such as the application of medical integrations, which enables one to perform even the most demanding tests at home, such as dialysis. As a result, ICUs can be clear and attend to the most immediate urgencies.
Technology now provides Tele-Intensive Care Units, a remote system that can monitor and provide care for patients that are critically ill. How is this possible? By video, two-way audio, and real-time remote data monitoring. Tele-ICU can access data available in EHR and check vital signs and other information from the bedside monitor of a patient, like heart rate, oxygen level, blood pressure, and so on.
This integration can reduce mortality rates among ICU patients, thanks to the advanced and fast reaction time.
This market is expected to grow to USD 5 billion by the year 2028. And, in the close future it is considering applying even more personalised, patient-oriented intensive care with the usage of healthcare technology.
Telemedicine has changed the way patients access medicine. At ACF Technologies, we enable telemedicine solutions to provide patients with an effortless consultation with their doctors. With this solution people all over the world have the chance to access medical care and professional advice.
Greater and remote participation from AI and Machine Learning (ML)
In 2023, it is predicted that AI and ML’s participation will increase, given their growing popularity and effectiveness in the healthcare industry. In fact, these solutions have helped healthcare companies to reduce their operational costs even by 30%.
With the help of AI, healthcare providers will be introducing many improvements such as: an automatic schedule of appointments, tracking patients’ progress, create patients’ treatment plans in a more personalised way. At the same time, ML can help to early diagnose a patient’s disease.
AI is also being used in drug discoveries. This assists in predicting outcomes of clinical trials and potential side effects of new drugs. It also analyses medical imagery, which involves using computer vision algorithms to spot early warning signs of disease in X-rays or MRI scans.
The improvement is such that Sergio Aguero, an Argentinian ex football player that had to retire given a cardiac arrhythmia, shared that thanks to the chip that’s in his heart, his doctor in Argentina knows how his condition is and when he will be needing assistance or even a hospital. After the match Argentina against The Netherlands, he shared that during the penalties he was constantly texting his doctor since he was in Qatar feeling that his heart was going to fail given the pressure and anxiety he was going through. His doctor checked everything and, from Argentina, assured him that there was nothing to worry about.
These tools in healthcare are forecast to top $20 million in 2023. Moreover, many AI-aligned technologies, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and pattern recognition algorithms, are profoundly embedded in the healthcare ecosystem and will keep on being adopted and growing throughout 2023.
More personalised healthcare for all
In 2023 is also expected to offer more patients healthcare delivery personalised specifically to them. This means that they will have more freedom to access more information and make choices about how their care should be delivered and planned. A personalised healthcare experience includes personal circumstances, opinions, and beliefs.
Personalised healthcare also includes precision medicine, a concept where drugs and other treatments are specifically tailored to a group of patients based on age, genetics, and risk factors. Which aims to replace an administered one-size-fits-all approach. Personalised healthcare takes into account the person’s genetic information or genome and helps doctors to predict how effective one drug can be or if they are likely to suffer side effects.
These advances are empowered by AI and ML algorithms which, most of the time, assist with this kind of predictions.
Retail Healthcare
Forrester's research ensures that: “In 2023, patients will choose retail health for their primary care needs as health systems, constrained by inadequate resources, fail to match retail’s elevated patient experiences”.
According to this research, the amount of healthcare business conducted through retail outlets will double in 2023. This is becoming a very visible asset since retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, and CVS offer healthcare such as blood tests, vaccinations, and medical check-ups that used to be traditionally delivered in hospitals by healthcare professionals.
Global economic conditions are leading to shortening budgets and looking for fast responses, since the hospitals are saturated.
Retail healthcare providers now levare consumer expectations and boost consumer experience. This trend is creating services that patients will increasingly find more convenient and of better value since it provides an easy access and faster outcomes.
Healthcare access for all
At ACF Technologies, we aim to make it easier for health professionals and patients to close the gap between hospitals and homes. With remote healthcare and developed software such as Queue Management System, Appointment Booking, Assistant Anywhere and Online Forms, our goal is to increase and improve home-based care.
Home-based care is boost by telemedicine and carries a positive way of treating patients since a familiar environment and proximity to the family can have a positive effect on patient outcomes.
