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Healthcare - Technology Trends
Telehealth and wearables are two healthcare industry technology trends that have gained considerable momentum recently. Telehealth allows the optimization of scarce resources and makes healthcare more accessible. The potential for use in combination with machine learning is unlimited. Wearable healthcare has gained traction as a trend due to the consumer's desire to have more control over their health outcomes. When combined with AI, there is no doubt; lives will be saved.
Telehealth
- Telehealth has been described as the "epitome in healthcare trends. Telehealth sees medical appointments carried out via video link. Initially, the appointments were primarily doctor orientated, but as the trend has evolved, the technology has been applied to other healthcare providers.
- One of the advantages of telehealth is it allows greater coverage, with those in rural communities able to access similar services to those in urban environments. In the future, global telehealth appointments will become more commonplace.
Reason it is a Trend
- Telehealth offers the opportunity for multiple providers in different locations to collaborate, in a way that is not possible if physical appointments are required, to provide an optimal treatment plan for the patient. It ensures the patient receives the best care from the people best qualified concerning the individual's health.
- Telehealth creates greater doctor efficiency, which is fundamental given the global shortage of doctors. It also ensures that resources are more appropriately allocated and those in rural communities do not miss out.
Machine Learning Skills to Support Trend
- The relationship between machine learning and telehealth is still in its infancy, but, as it has developed, one thing that has remained constant is that decision-making must stay in the hands of the doctors. Notwithstanding this, AI offers value to the telehealth concept in a way that will optimize doctor involvement, while insuring the patient receives the best possible care.
- Technology has already been developed that sees AI technology used to gather and collate the patient history and investigations in the first instance, so all the preliminary work has been completed by AI at the time of the telehealth appointment. This ensures that all the information required for the doctor to make a decision is readily available before the telehealth appointment. It minimizes the need to reschedule or delay appoints, and ensures that the information is consistent for each patient, which will improve the quality of care, consistency, and ensure all patients receive the same standard of care.
- This technology also provides an invaluable resource in the decision-making process due to AIs ability to provide treatment options based on the outcomes of any other number of patients with the same diagnosis.
Deficits that Hinder the Trend
- Despite a huge volume of information suggesting that AI outperforms doctors, there is still a reluctance to trust machine learning in the healthcare sector. Patients are also slow to warm to the telehealth concept itself, many struggling to overcome the physical distance between doctor and patient.
- The medical profession presents the biggest issue in the future development of this tend, with resistance levels high among some professionals, who are unwilling to place trust in a machine, insisting that the benefit of a human element should not be underestimated. There is also a school of thought within the medical profession opposed to telehealth, arguing it is essential the doctor examine the patient.
Wearables
- Wearable health products are not only a top health trend, but they are the top fitness trend currently. Wearable healthcare incorporating smart watches and fit bits has established itself in the global psyche, and the trend toward the adoption of these products shows no signs of slowing.
Reason it is a Trend
- The trend is driven by an increasing demand from consumers to have control over their own health destiny. In general, there has been a trend in healthcare, over recent years, toward greater patient autonomy. This trend is a manifestation of that greater desire.
Machine Learning Skills to Support Trend
- Machine learning is, without a doubt, supporting the current trend toward wearables. While the information collected by the wearable provides valuable insights into consumer healthcare, the value that is added when machine learning is applied to this data amplifies the benefit to the consumer.
- AI can collate and evaluate the data that has been collected through the wearable and apply it to similar recordings. As technology develops, this is likely to incorporate individual demographics, and family and personal medical history. AI will be able to use this information to make health recommendations to the individual user, which maximizes the potential of the technology, in a way that is not possible were there only human input. The time frame for analyzing the data and the cost savings are also considerable.
- The daily monitoring of vital signs by AI will enable any serious concerns or anomalies to be identified early and, in the long term, save lives.
Deficits that Hinder the Trend
- As with telehealth, consumer trust remains an issue, however given wearables increasing popularity and the fact consumers are making the choice to use them, it is likely the same levels of resistance will not be seen as the role AI has to play increases.
Research Strategy
To determine the current trends in the healthcare industry, we reviewed a range of scholarly research, industry and market publications, and industry experts. By doing this, we were able to identify the two aforementioned trends. We consider something to be a trend if it has generated multiple articles, multiple industry experts are discussing it, and companies within the industry are adopting it.