Top 7 ways Digital is Transforming the Healthcare Industry
In recent times, we have seen that the healthcare sector has been evolving at a rapid pace. All thanks to the introduction of digital healthcare. We have moved from the traditional paper model to the digital model of healthcare. A few examples of digital transformation are Telemedicine, medical devices backed with Artificial Intelligence technology, and Electronic Health records.
Top Digital Transformations in the Healthcare Industry The digital transformation has reshaped how we interact with health professionals, how the EHR is shared with providers and the precision with which treatment plan is made and executed.
Let’s have a glimpse of the 7 top Digital Transformations:
Healthcare through Telemedicine
People carry their world with them on their mobile. 77% of people in the US use mobile phones, and more than 50% of internet searches happen through mobile. This is where Telemedicine helps. It provides on-demand healthcare solutions to the people. They can look for healthcare professionals, hospitals, and medical facilities and also book appointments through Telemedicine. With the current Covid-19 pandemic, people prefer online consultations with their doctors through Telemedicine. Even patients staying in remote areas can have easy access to top-class healthcare.
Big Data for Pharma companies
Big Data is collected from various sources like a doctor visit, patient records, social media, products, services availed, and more. These data hold a mine of information useful for the healthcare industry.
- Medication errors can be reduced or avoided through patient record analysis. The software will alert when any inconsistencies are noticed between the patient’s health and the medicines prescribed
- Preventive care can be facilitated for patients who visit emergency rooms on regular basis. Preventive plans can be designed for such patients using big data
- Big Data can help pharma companies to understand market dynamics. Accordingly, changes in the product, services offered can be designed/changed. It also helps in budgeting.
Usage of Virtual reality in healthcare
Virtual reality has taken the healthcare system to a new level. Doctors use stimulations created by virtual reality to hone their skills and to guide them through complicated surgeries. For autistic children, virtual reality headsets are been used for learning purposes. Pharma companies can use virtual reality techniques to engage with their customers and understand their requirements better. The best example is the usage of virtual reality to treat chronic pain, anxiety, stroke, and disorder due to post-traumatic stress.
Wearable Medical technology
People are taking measures to maintain their health and taking preventive measures for the same. There are various wearable devices available to safeguard one’s health. The most popular devices include:
- Heart rate sensors
- Exercise trackers
- Blood sugar levels can be monitored using Sweat meters
- The amount of oxygen level in blood can be measured using an Oximeter
Such type of wearable technology helps people to monitor their health on a real-time basis without scheduling physical tests regularly.
Genomics and gene therapy
The study of DNA – genomics has laid the way for cell and gene therapy. Though still in its clinical trial phase, gene therapy has shown promising outcomes to treat aliments due to genetic disorders, including cancer. It has the potential to offer tailor-made treatment for patients.
Artificial Intelligence backed technologies
The usage of AI technologies has been proven in precision medicine, digital imaging, drug discovery, CPV, and more. It has drastically reduced the processing time of data processing and the accuracy of reports is pristine. This also helps to reduce the time taken during the drug development process.
Blockchain EHR
Electronic health records are mainly in unstructured format and various types of technologies are used to convert them into a structured format. These records have details of patient’s health, their personal information, and such information is a gold mine for hackers. Blockchain is an effective tool to prevent any data breach. Blockchain also helps to manage data in such a manner that duplication of records and misdiagnosis are avoided. The reports are accurately maintained and can be easily retrieved. All this leads to cost savings for pharma companies.
Conclusion
The digital transformation looks promising. Despite the pace of development happening in the healthcare industry, a recent survey has shown that only 7% of pharmaceutical companies have taken the digital plunge as compared to 15% of companies in other industries. One main reason could be the cost involved. But soon the landscape will change, the pharma companies are realizing the one-time set-up cost can lead to huge benefits in the future. Digital transformation is set to create quality services and products to improve lives and revolutionize the healthcare system and grow their business by leaps and bounds.
Aventior caters to leading pharma, biotech, and diagnostics companies. They offer the best digital solutions and services to help companies go digital with a smooth transition from traditional to digital. The solutions offered include Data Restructuring and Analytics platform (DRIP), CPV – Auto, Digital pathology to name a few. To know more about them, write in at info@aventior.com.