From smartphones to cloud storage, technology has revolutionized everyday life, especially over the past decade. The medical sector has also made great strides with emerging technologies in healthcare. However, some areas have been slower to evolve digitally, especially in adopting tools that allow patients to monitor their health at home.
In recent years, manufacturers and designers have focused on designing digital tools aimed at improving overall health while providing patients with the most personalized care possible. These digital solutions allow people to take an active role in managing their own health and provide healthcare providers with valuable data that can improve treatments and decision-making. Emerging trends in at-home technology, such as wearable devices and healthcare-related smartphone apps, have opened the door to more precision medicine.
The outlook for digital healthcare
From both the patient and provider perspective, the digitization of healthcare has been transformative. It has changed the way we communicate with healthcare providers and share our medical data. It has also contributed to the way healthcare providers make treatment decisions, potentially leading to improved treatment outcomes.
The adoption of these tools – such as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered devices, remote patient monitoring software, and telemedicine – may enhance chronic disease management, improve access to care, promote affordability, and provide personalized services. However, compared to other industries, the healthcare industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, often citing concerns about cybersecurity, interoperability, privacy, and safety.1,2
What Healthcare Can Learn from Other Industries
As other industries experiment with digitalization and experience success, their outcomes will guide the healthcare industry’s digital transformation.
External industry experts have created a three-step path that healthcare can follow to achieve effective digitalization:3
Identify transformation needs and select appropriate technology solutions. Design workflows or patient care models that can effectively leverage new capabilities. Monitor changes and look for ways to continue improving.
Tractor manufacturer John Deere’s digital transformation highlights the opportunity and provides an example of how healthcare can move toward greater use of technology.3 To maximize efficiency, Deere built tractors that incorporate cloud computing, machine learning, global positioning systems, and computer vision. Farmers use smartphones to plant crops more precisely and make adjustments in real time. In effect, Deere is creating a more individualized approach to agriculture and providing a powerful example of what healthcare can achieve with personalized health care.
The impact of rapidly increasing at-home digital healthcare tools
According to a Deloitte survey, the primary driver behind the digital transformation of healthcare is creating a better experience for patients.5 Health system executives say thinking about the care delivery process from the consumer’s perspective builds trust and loyalty and could lead to more healthcare innovation.
One way the healthcare industry is looking to leverage digitalization is through at-home healthcare tools that allow patients to perform tests, monitor vital signs, and other routine checkups and share that data with their healthcare providers.6 These technologies allow patients to conveniently track important information themselves and help healthcare providers identify potential issues that need to be addressed between appointments.
Where is digitalization of healthcare headed?
While these digitalization efforts are still in their infancy, several products in the wellness space highlight what healthcare has already achieved and where it is headed. Cloud-based digital software tools that foster collaboration between patients and healthcare providers and enable data sharing for better outcomes are already being used to address some of healthcare’s key goals for the near future.
Improved chronic disease management
Today, 60% of U.S. adults have a chronic disease that requires active monitoring.7 This can be extremely challenging when patients may wait months between medical appointments. Digital tools that can record important diagnostics, such as doctor-prescribed continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), can inform doctors about patient conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. With a small sensor inserted into the upper arm or abdomen, CGMs read blood glucose levels in interstitial fluid and help monitor type I or type II diabetes.
Improving access to healthcare
Low-income and rural patients often lack access to quality healthcare and often suffer poorer outcomes. Digital tools like video visits and wearable devices can expand access to healthcare. Devices like Pulsenmore’s portable home ultrasound machine that connects to a smartphone can provide valuable care to more people. In particular, the device allows patients to scan themselves, send images to their healthcare provider for a consultation, and even integrate that data into their electronic health record. Telehealth tools and technology not only improve access to healthcare by allowing patients to monitor their health from home, but also help reduce costs.
Expanding affordability
Healthcare costs can be a barrier for many, which is why telemedicine is so important as a way to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and travel costs. For example, patient out-of-pocket costs for an ultrasound can range from just over $300 to approximately $2,200, depending on the state.8 Emerging technologies in healthcare and ultrasound are designed to make devices and services, such as home and over-the-counter wearable blood pressure monitors, more affordable and lower overall costs.
Creating more personalized care
In healthcare, one-size-fits-all solutions rarely exist. New digital tools are designed to support the precision medicine that patients and consumers prefer. AliveCor’s personal electrocardiogram device, designed for commercial consumers, makes this long-term, personalized care possible. By collecting data from consumer-performed scans and instantly uploading it to the electronic medical record, healthcare providers can make better short- and long-term treatment decisions.
Advances in home healthcare technology
The digital transformation of healthcare has made great strides in recent years, particularly with the adoption of home patient monitoring tools. However, the industry still has a long way to go. By learning from advancements in other industries and striving to improve the patient experience, healthcare is poised to revolutionize care delivery with remote patient monitoring software and technology.
reference:
1. Gilbert G, Fernandes LA, Sawant A. Digitalization is reshaping the U.S. health insurance industry, and the winners are moving fast. McKinsey & Company. Published January 8, 2019. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/digital-is-reshaping-us-health-insurance-winners-are-moving-fast. Accessed February 15, 2023.
2. Ravitz R. Why Healthcare is Slow to Adopt Technological Innovations. Med-Tech Innovation News. Published April 2, 2020. https://www.med-technews.com/medtech-insights/why-healthcare-is-slow-to-adopt-technological-innovations/. Accessed February 15, 2023.
3. Nintex. “3 Steps to Digitize Your Core Business Processes.” Nintex, April 10, 2023. https://www.nintex.com/blog/digitize-core-business-processes/.
4. Millenson ML. At CES, a Tractor and a Patient Stethoscope Point to the Future of Digital Health. Forbes. Published January 13, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelmillenson/2023/01/13/at-ces-a-tractor-and-a-patient-stethoscope-point-to-digital-health-future/. Accessed February 15, 2023.
5. Shudes C, Shukla M, Chang C, et al. “Digital transformation: from buzzword to healthcare system imperative.” Deloitte. Published October 26, 2021. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/digital-transformation-in-healthcare.html. Accessed February 15, 2023.
6. Digital Health Tech Takes Spotlight at CES 2023. Tomorrow’s World Today. Published January 9, 2023. https://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/2023/01/09/digital-health-tech-takes-spotlight-at-ces-2023/. Accessed February 15, 2023.
7. Chronic Diseases in America. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last updated: December 13, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm. Accessed February 15, 2023.
8. Paavola, Alia. “The Average Cash Price of a Hospital Ultrasound in Each State.” Becker’s Hospital Review. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/the-average-cost-of-a-hospital-ultrasound-in-each-state.html.
