Digital Healthcare Trends To Follow

Technological advancements have not left any field untouched. The health sector has become a great avenue for technological adventures, especially after the great pandemic of COVID-19. Emerging technologies like IoT, AI, ML, and Blockchain have further increased the scope of evolution in this sector.

With changing times, people are accessing the technology easily through smartphones and wearable devices. The easy internet exposure leads to easy access to healthcare advancements and a rise in demand. You can observe the implementation of telemedicine facilities, online consultations, and many more to ease the lives of people. Therefore, it has become necessary to keep an eye on emerging digital trends to remain relevant in today’s time. 

In this blog post, we’re going to study in depth the top emerging digital trends in the healthcare industry. Proper implementations of these ongoing trends can prove significantly advantageous in driving business growth and profitability.

1. Rising Trends in Digital Health

Explore some of the most exciting and promising Digital healthcare trends.

1.1 AI

Numerous digital health companies and healthcare providers have included artificial intelligence (AI) throughout existing operations, not just for cost-cutting motives. With the assistance of AI, medical institutions and healthcare organizations may more effectively address patient management challenges such as improving patient experience, reducing hospital readmissions, and managing growing costs of treatment.

Personalization is critical for achieving superior health results. The advancement of consumer AI in the digital health industry is also popular as a wearable technology. Through monitoring and data gathering, wearable devices such as Google Fit and Apple HealthKit give users a comprehensive view of their diet and well-being, which may help people understand their health condition and seek preventative care.

According to the report, AI in the healthcare market size was estimated at USD 19.27 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38.5% from 2024 to 2030.

All efforts to strengthen the regulatory system will continue to encounter obstacles. One significant challenge is confidentiality in digital health records. Professionals often refer to the need for “digital trust,” to tackle this challenge, especially as new technologies swiftly arise to meet the demands for patient-centered treatment.

1.2 Big Health Data

Smartwatches also contribute to the growth of big health data., It is one of the fast-growing repositories of materials that can help healthcare providers and care professionals a scope to improve patient outcomes.

Additionally, there is a renewed emphasis on establishing big health data efforts that facilitate secure communication between healthcare providers and their patients, particularly regarding cloud-based techniques that allow real-time monitoring of healthcare information.

1.3 Telemedicine

Telemedicine bridges the gap between doctors and patients. It refers to the method of getting healthcare services through online mediums like video conferencing. Covid-19 led to the rise of telemedicine and since then it’s been adopted on a high scale. You have the flexibility to get consultations from an expert healthcare practitioner no matter where both of you are located. It saves a lot of time and money in accessing quality services. 

Apart from increased use, investments in virtual care are being pushed by improvements in government and commercial payer payment policies. It became obvious early on that telehealth had the potential to increase efficiency and cut costs, while also expanding access to primary care and reducing patient demand on institutions. Preventative treatment can also help minimize needless emergency room re-admissions—by involving patients more often and at lower costs.

1.4 Remote Patient Monitoring

Digital health technologies and medical devices play a greater role in patient monitoring, offering assistance, and analyzing behaviors. Telehealth is a good example and torchbearer for RPM. The introduction of digital indications has the potential to greatly expand usage cases for remote patient monitoring (RPM).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the development and implementation of RPM technologies to provide continuous care for people in isolation increased dramatically. With the desire for better medical services and the expense related to conventional health care rising, the usage of RPM has continued to expand. The worldwide RPM systems market is expected to reach over $175.2 billion in 2027, a growth of approximately 128% from its present value, as predicted by Markets & Markets Research.

Here’s an event of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital participating in Telehealth Awareness Week to support the innovative cause.

As part of #TelehealthAwarenessWeek we would like to introduce you to Remote Patient Monitoring. This service allows families to spend more time at home and less time traveling back and forth for follow-up appointments. Learn more: https://t.co/RfkMuEYuUQ pic.twitter.com/XWJIq9yBm4

— Cincinnati Children's (@CincyChildrens) September 21, 2022

1.5 IOT and Medicine

One of the fastest-growing areas of IoT, medical IoT makes use of connected devices, sensors, and software to yield better patient outcomes. Medical IoT can provide upgraded versions of conventional medical equipment, such as the smart inhaler, which communicates with a smartphone app to track the patient’s inhaler use.

The global Internet of Things in healthcare market size was valued at USD 44.21 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2% from 2024 to 2030.

1.6 Cloud-Based Data

The acceptance of Cloud computing is helping to bring in a new age of healthcare digitization. Cloud computing offers quick access to and processing of data, which helps healthcare practitioners make better-educated real-time choices.

Here’s what Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) has to say on this:

“By pairing the Mayo Clinic's world-class clinical expertise with our capabilities in AI and cloud computing, we have an extraordinary opportunity to develop services that will significantly improve lives.” —Google CEO Sundar Pichai, via @Forbes ↓ https://t.co/1kUvsScmdk

— Google Cloud (@googlecloud) September 16, 2019

Additionally, healthcare businesses are beginning to leverage cloud-based technology for improved information management. This involves implementing electronic health records (EHRs), which enable healthcare professionals to easily store, monitor, and exchange data.

After the Covid pandemic, people have started taking their health more seriously. They are moving towards self-care to avoid hospitalization as much as they can. Employers are taking special care of their employees’ physical and mental well-being to increase their morale and productivity. To do so they have come up with various healthcare apps that track physical activities, integrate with smart bands monitoring different health aspects, assign challenges, give rewards, obtain real-time health insights, etc.   

1.7 Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Not long ago, VR was still considered a gimmick that was best used in simulations like video games. These days, there are a plethora of real-world applications for VR and AR technologies that have found many practical applications beyond the gaming and entertainment industries.

Virtual reality (VR) is a valuable tool in surgical training and planning, reducing the risks of surgeries for both healthcare professionals and patients. Numerous studies have shown that VR can be helpful for a variety of mental and physical health issues, including managing chronic pain.

Research from MarketsandMarkets projects a 30.7% annual growth rate for AR and VR in healthcare from 2017 to 2025.

Mental health issues, such as anxiety, phobias, and PTSD are already being treated with virtual reality by medical specialists. Virtual and augmented reality allow caretakers to recreate challenging situations for patients. This can include scenarios related to eating habits, a phobia of heights, or panic disorder.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) users are aware that the scenario they’re seeing is fabricated. Nevertheless, the simulation allows individuals to practice facing fears in a safe atmosphere. 
Virtual reality is useful for both patients and healthcare practitioners. Research at Harvard Business Review indicates that virtual reality (VR) training can enhance student performance in healthcare by 20% compared to students who receive only traditional training. The VR-trained group also had a 38% higher success rate in completing the tasks.

2. Conclusion

In the next several decades, the eHealth digital transformation will intensify. Medical professionals will progressively turn to digital innovations to enhance patient care while remaining compliant with regulatory obligations.

As more individuals have access to smart technology in their homes, health apps and services, including telehealth solutions, will continue to become a more feasible alternative for patients who wish to remain at home but still receive great treatment. As innovation advances, global governments and laws will need to identify the most effective way to utilize new technologies while ensuring their safety and efficacy.

FAQ

What are the rising trends in digital health?

Some of the trends in digital health that are rising rapidly includes: 

• AI-powered personalized medical treatments 
• Remote patient monitoring 
• Big Health data
• Wearable technologies 
• Digital mental health and wellness solutions

What are 3 major digital health trends that impact healthcare?

The following are the three primary factors that significantly transform healthcare industry:

• Application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry.
• Specialized Dedicated Medicine.
• Virtual availability of healthcare providers via online apps, chats, and calls.