Healthcare innovation is one of the most important battles in the fight to prolong human life, so here we discuss which medical technologies are leading the way to a brighter future.
The future of healthcare holds many possibilities, and medical technology has a large role to play in ensuring that we are able to tackle all of the biggest health issues we face. Often, we consider healthcare jobs to be very human labour intensive; for example, doctors and nurses put in a lot of hours and physical work to look after patients.
However, it is new healthcare technologies that allow medical professionals to progress in their field, save more patients and fight new diseases. In this article, we’ll explore global healthcare in the current climate and how the industry has changed in the past decade, before discussing seven promising new healthcare technologies.
What is healthcare technology?
Before we discuss the current state of the global healthcare industry and how it’s changed over the past decade, we’ll offer a definition of healthcare technology. It’s fairly self-explanatory – any technology that is designed to support healthcare organisations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) offers a more detailed definition of health technology, as the “application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives”.
What does global healthcare look like in 2021?
The healthcare industry has undoubtedly changed in the past couple of years since we’ve been fighting a global pandemic. COVID-19 overwhelmed healthcare systems all over the world, has killed as many as 3 million people worldwide, and forced many other dangerous diseases to be placed on the sidelines.
While social distancing and mask-wearing reduced the spread of infectious diseases like the flu, lockdowns and restrictions also meant that fewer people were getting diseases diagnosed and receiving important treatment.
However, one good thing that has come out of the pandemic is that more of the world now has access to healthcare through things like digital appointments and online prescriptions.
Thinking about the global healthcare outlook outside of COVID-19, Deloitte Insights wrote a report detailing six of the biggest factors driving change in the healthcare sector.
They suggest that consumers are seeking more on-demand, digital healthcare services, and healthcare organisations are transitioning to health IT systems powered by cloud, data and analytics tools.
In addition to this, we’re shifting to view healthcare as something encompassing our total wellbeing rather than just our physical health, and we’re seeing more collaboration between different governments, industries, academia and tech giants than ever before, in the name of healthcare innovation and progression.
How has the healthcare industry changed in the last 10 years?
Since we’re thinking about what healthcare could look like in the future, it’s worth acknowledging the amount of progress that has been made in the healthcare industry in the past decade. Below we discuss some of the biggest innovations that have changed healthcare for the better.
Remote monitoring
Remote monitoring allows patients and their progress to be monitored at all times without using clunky technology or a doctor needing to be present. Not only does this mean that doctors and nurses are able to help many patients at once, but patients are able to leave the hospital earlier and be monitored safely from afar. This creates a more comfortable and cheaper experience for everyone involved.
Electronic medical records
Since the introduction of electronic medical records, it’s been so much easier for doctors to view and seamlessly share medical history. This means that records are less likely to be lost and patient care is improved because the doctor has complete access to the patient’s health background, prescriptions and previous care. Electronic records also allow patients themselves to keep track of their medical data.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine consists of remote clinical services where the healthcare provider or doctor communicates virtually with the patient. Examples of this include appointments with a GP over video call, therapy over the phone, and text messages that reveal medical test results.
The positive consequences of this are undeniable – access to healthcare has been improved for those who are in remote areas or who face difficulties attending physical appointments.