The rise of technology has gained significant momentum in recent times; pandemic only acts as an inflection point, a point of no return. mHealth or mobile health applications have been on the rise, but their efficacy has been limited because of various systemic challenges in the global healthcare industry. Now the time is ripe, 2021 will be the year in which companies will lay the foundation of their lasting enterprises; those who are not agile will either be acquired or will perish. Here are some healthcare technology trends that medical institutions, startups and other enterprises must not miss out on.
Healthcare Technology Trend #1: Telehealth & Telemedicine
The astronomical rise of telemedicine during pandemic is a trend that is here to stay. The rise is as much as 50 to 175 times the previous years, and the US healthcare spend could come reach USD 250 billion in virtual medicine, according to McKinsey.
In 2019, the global telemedicine market accounted for $45.5 million and is projected to account for $175.5 million by 2026 (Source: Statista).
Must Have Features for Your Telemedicine Platform
- Security features to ensure no data theft and attacks
- Real time location services
- Appointment management
- Diverse Communication Modes: Video/audio, secure messaging
- Healthcare provider reviews, visit history
- Wearable integration to enable wireless testing
Technology Trends Consider:
- The most robust telehealth services are provided through telemedicine apps. One of the most important technologies behind telemedicine apps is WebRTC, an open-source API-based system to connect web browsers with mobile applications.
- Electronic health records (EHR) are an essential integration into your telemedicine app as it facilitates patients and healthcare providers to see patient medical records in the app.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) enables the application to relay communication to patients through digital speech.
- Google fit and Apple HealthKit integration is a valuable addition that allows the app to access existing health information available on a patient’s smartphone.
- Cloud-based server solutions are also critical for all of the above processes to function.
Healthcare Technology Trend #3: Telehealth with The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
With the union of IoT with telemedicine and telehealth technologies, a new Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), has emerged. The Healthcare industry has leveraged IoMT in such a big way that accounts for 30% of the share of the mammoth IoT market which will be as big as $6.2 trillion by 2025.
IoMT will become an integral part of healthcare at a brisk pace, and healthcare institutions must aggressively think about leveraging it to the fullest.
Popular Applications
IoMT devices and apps are playing a vital role in tracking and preventing chronic illnesses. The use of several wearables, search as ECG and EKG monitors, BP instruments allow doctors to monitor patients remotely.
Smart pills: IoMT will also facilitate future advancements such as the smart pills (approved in 2017 by the FDA), practitioners have the power to exercise many innovative solutions for providing care, effectively, and remotely.
With IoMT facilitating Telehealth, here are are few healthcare Technology trends based on use cases that have recently rise and will continue to do so:
- Assisted Living Technologies
- Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Tech
- Speech Assistive Tech
- Chronic disease monitoring technologies
For the details and more information on other tech trends in healthcare sector, please visit our blog!
