Healthcare is one of the biggest and most vital industries in the world. It’s also one of the fastest-developing, with research and innovation happening constantly in every area of the industry. Over the last 100 years, we’ve seen new medicines, new procedures, and the complete digital revolution of the industry reforming patient monitoring, admin, and diagnostic abilities. Here’s a rundown of the 5 biggest trends and innovations the healthcare industry has seen in recent years.
- Information and Data
Across the whole world, the means to quickly store and access large amounts of data has defined the digital age. The Internet, localised intranets, search engines, and the cloud have all enabled healthcare providers to rapidly share information and track patient data fluidly. It allows doctors to swiftly identify risk factors, recommend appropriate treatments, and assist with patient well being without extended wait times.
“Big data”, or the vast repositories of research and patient information stored digitally, has also allowed every medical worker to benefit from the work of their peers, leading to compounding growth and development throughout the industry. This also allows researchers to perform systematic reviews, wherein smaller studies are analysed together to come to a specific conclusion, and capture broader demographics in their research.
- Communication
Technological advancements in the ways that healthcare information is presented have resulted in much smoother communication between healthcare providers and their patients. From the simple lightbox for x-ray viewing, all the way to video calls and patient analysis recordings, there have been massive changes in the ways we communicate with our healthcare providers in the past few decades.
- Medical Records
Thirty years ago, your medical records from your GP were held at their office, and your medical records from your hospital were held at the hospital. If your GP wanted to see the results of your hospital visit, it might take days for the paperwork to be sent over by mail. While the first wave of email initially helped this somewhat, the development of proper databases for secure medical information has made sharing and accessing important patient info swifter and safer than ever.
- Telehealth
Video conferencing and telehealth services have been a somewhat recent development, but have allowed patients broader and smoother access to healthcare than they’ve ever had before. The result of faster internet speeds and more widespread infrastructure, telehealth appointments allow those too sick to travel, as well as those in rural areas too far from their providers, to have the same access to healthcare as everyone else. It also allows for faster turnaround times between appointments, allowing more patients to be seen during regular hours.
Telehealth was also instrumental during the COVID-19 pandemic, when patients and doctors could not be in the same room, and is a big help for anybody suffering with a contagious disease. The results of telehealth are much wider-reaching than many might realise, and have had a big impact on the wellbeing of marginalised populations over the past few years.
- Health Apps
Mobile phone apps and wearable devices like smart watches that track the user’s health and fitness have boomed in recent years, and have allowed the general public to see how their bodies are behaving in real time without needing to undergo medical analysis. There are apps for everything, from prompting you to book appointments, to tracking your heart rate, to accessing test results, to seeing how many calories you burn in a workout. Additionally, webapps like NEEJE help medical providers give better care and attention to patients, while also protecting both provider and patient from legal trouble in the worst-case scenario.
Technology has gifted humanity with massive benefits, not the least of which are found in the medical and healthcare industry. Thanks to technological advances over the past century, we’re all now living longer, healthier, and happier lives. If you’re a healthcare provider looking to incorporate technology that helps patients into your practice’s workflow, look no further than NEEJE. NEEJE is a webapp that allows patients and healthcare providers to collaborate on the informed consent process, building trust and lowering the risk of litigation should the procedure not go as planned. If you’d like to learn more about NEEJE, head over to www.neeje.io and start your free trial.