How Technology Innovation is Boosting Healthcare Systems

The Covid-19 outbreak has brought the entire world to one realization- our healthcare systems need to become better and more agile. The current pandemic has introduced us to various challenges of healthcare systems. From the general population to the decision-makers, the need, as well as an expectation, has stemmed to give an overhaul to the healthcare sector. This could be in terms of the faster innovation, better diagnosis and insightful results.

Since we, as human civilization, have made great headways in terms of technological innovation, it would not be wrong to assume that the right implementation of technology in healthcare systems could give it the much-needed modernization. As we talk of the optimal use of technology for the betterment of healthcare systems, we must acknowledge the existing alteration brought by it.

Major change and improvements are already being seen in the healthcare systems globally in the last decade. The way of approaching a doctor and seeking consultation is undergoing a rapid transformation. The new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality, and Data Analytics have introduced unanticipated developments to the sector.

As per a report by Deloitte, global healthcare expenditures are expected to witness a spike as spending is projected to go up at an annual rate of 5.4 per cent between 2017-2022, from USD 7.724 trillion to USD 10.059 trillion. India’s Healthcare budgets have also been elevated by 5.7% in 2020 however, it’s still a mere 1.6% of the GDP, which is far behind other nations.

In this overall digital transformation of our economy, technology can play a crucial role in further strengthening our healthcare systems. The healthcare sector is going to increasingly invest in the following new age digital technologies and alter the landscape.

• Artificial Intelligence: The current biggest shortcoming of our healthcare system is its inability to be able to identify a disease before it is too late. The technology of artificial intelligence and machine learning are being the game-changers here.

It has immense potential of identifying probable patient risks by evaluating the large volume of patient data and identity relevant patterns and anomalies. This is already being done to an extent based on diagnostic data, patient history, treatments and their results being cumulatively studied at a regional & global level.

While the deeper entrenchment of these solutions in our existing systems will take some time, a glimpsing example of this could be spotted in the health-related apps we are using. The recently launched Covid-19 tracking app, Aarogya Setu is a great example of the deployment of AI.

Aarogya Setu is an app, developed by the Government of India to fight its battle against Covid-19 in India. The app comes with a chatbot which pops up certain health-related questions and helps you analyze your chances of getting infected. We are seeing a lot of interest from authorities globally around the adoption of contact tracking apps while citizens have expressed concerns over data privacy and protection.

• Internet of Things (IoT): IoT can play a huge role in the overall transformation of the healthcare sector and is seeing rapid adoption. Currently, it is being used incredibly both by the patients as well as institutional users like physicians, clinics, hospitals and researchers.

For patients, the technology can be witnessed in myriad forms. Some of the common examples are wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness bands and wirelessly connected devices like BP and heart rate monitoring cuffs. These devices have been helping individuals in keeping a track of their health on an immediate basis, especially patients with old age issues.

The technology is being used in the healthcare centres as well, though in a limited capacity. It can be found in the form of IoT devices and sensors which are helping to do real-time patient health tracking, diagnostics, generate automated reports, location tracking of patients and equipment etc. This has been leading to faster results enablement, remote monitoring and control over patient’s health.

• Big Data & Data Analytics: This can undoubtedly be called the ultimate technology to transform the healthcare industry. Data is often called the new oil required to operate the businesses and economy. If we cannot say now, this will soon be the reality of the healthcare sector as well.

The data that is being collected through artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of things (IoT) is not truly beneficial if it is not put to analysis in the best capacity. It is only with the health of data analytics that health conditions could be predicted, and timely diagnosis of a disease could be done. The hospitals and medical institutions can use data analytics for better patient inbound-outbound management, services usage, planning etc.

• Remote Consulting: The trend of remote consulting or virtual appointments was already in existence. However, it would not be wrong to say that Covid-19 has given further impetus to the remote appointment and virtual doctor consultation.

While we see organizations turning to remote working business models, it is expected to witness a surge in the healthcare systems where personal visits might not always be a necessity. While this is already being helpful in the current scenario of lockdown, it could prove to be revolutionary in extending healthcare services in remote areas with low population density.

Similar to other sectors of the economy, the healthcare industry also calls for the much-needed digital transformation. The investments in the healthcare sector will also favour those  The time is certainly not far when we will not have to go out and visit hospitals for generic medical guidance. The right implementation of digital technologies will definitely help us overcome the current challenges of our healthcare systems.

By Puneet Bajaj, Partner, IFI Techsolutions