Transformative Impact of Advanced Technologies in Healthcare

Healthcare is witnessing an ever-changing landscape. The industry is undergoing a huge transition and is constantly evolving, especially in the developed world where the rate of change is clearly noticeable.

New technologies such as medical robotics and artificial intelligence are being increasingly integrated in the healthcare industry on a day-to-day basis, and has transformed the way it operates.

Modern healthcare is very complex, however, advancement of technology has made it possible to access crucial information extremely easily at any given time. The healthcare industry today is undergoing major transformation through the adoption of an effective approach that involves the collaboration of healthcare providers with patients for the delivery of patient-centered clinical care. This enables patients to gain more control and understanding of their own health and makes them more involved in the decision-making process regarding their own care.

New technology has enabled the use of personalised self-service software to facilitate the patient's proactive approach to care by enabling them to manage their own health from anywhere, as well as strengthening their existing collaborative relationship they have with healthcare providers, and so, improving their overall experience.

Nowadays, patients expect much more out of healthcare as a service, very similar to the kind of expectation they may have for organisations in the retail or hospitality sectors.

Expectations shape how we perceive the healthcare we receive.

Positive patient experience is a crucial element for the successful implementation of the 'patient engagement' approach. To achieve this, healthcare organisations must ensure that their processes and services are perfected in terms of reliability, efficiency and accessibility. But what are the different tools and softwares used for patient engagement?

Examples of digital patient engagement tools include:

Online appointment booking

Digital patient check-in

Patient intake solutions with targeted outreach capabilities

Online provider search

Virtual waiting rooms

Self-service kiosks

Online billing and payment

Patient satisfaction surveys

Pre- and post-visit patient education

Improved health awareness combined with a proactive approach to self-care is a recipe for a better clinical outcome. In general, it is a well-known fact that patients who are actively involved in their own healthcare often have a more positive outlook in terms of improved experiencehpatient care, and reduced costs.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare in numerous ways, with remarkable impact over two crucial areas of patient care - effectiveness and efficiency. Thanks to AI, patients are now able to receive quality care and treatment faster and more accurately than ever before.

AI has redefined crucial areas in patient care by enabling more effective diagnostic methods, treatment pathways, and patient monitoring. Furthermore, it provides vital assistance to healthcare professionals through the rapid analysis of huge quantities of data, thus allowing them to make more informed decisions and identify certain disease patterns that can aid them in finding improved solutions rapidly based on more accurate data. Therefore, it is safe to assume that AI has the power to transform the quality of patient care while benefiting healthcare providers and reducing overall costs.

Machine Learning: This is a common example of the collaborative relationship between artificial intelligence and healthcare. It has enabled the integration of AI in healthcare by providing assistance in the processes of diagnosis and treatment. This is done by rapidly analysing vast amounts of clinical data, identifying patterns and making accurate predictions about diagnosis and different treatment outcomes. There are numerous uses of ML in healthcare including the discovery of different therapies, drug development, and disease diagnosis.

The most widespread utilisation of traditional machine learning is precision medicine.

Being able to predict what treatment procedures are likely to be successful with patients based on their make-up and the treatment framework is a huge leap forward for the data science of many healthcare organizations, and is expected to be widely implemented in the near future.

Natural language processing (NLP): This is a form of AI that allows the interpretation and use of human language by computer systems. It has many uses in healthcare including its use in health records for the extraction of useful clinical data for more accurate diagnosis, identification of personalised treatment pathways based on past medical history, and streamlining clinical processes by providing essential tools for complex data management for the use of healthcare professionals. NLP has revolutionised the healthcare industry, and is becoming an essential element in modern day medicine.

Administrative Applications: AI is being increasingly used to automate repetitive daily tasks in healthcare e.g. data entry, which can enable better productivity and shift focus to more important aspects such as patient care or budget management. In addition to that, AI is more likely to reduce incidences of human error in key areas including health records, test results and claims processing. Ultimately, AI provides a more improved and refined approach to healthcare by offering providers with the much needed time and resources for the delivery of better quality patient care.

The adoption of medical robotics in healthcare is a relatively new area of healthcare technology. Although they are currently more prevalent in certain world countries such as Japan, their use is becoming much more common due their cost effectiveness as well as the the fact that they are capable of performing a vast range of tasks very efficiently and safely. Their numerous benefits and varied implementations has gained robotics a huge potential in healthcare, and is estimated to reach a global market value of over €350 billion per year in 2025.

Medical robotics have a wide array of uses in healthcare that includes the following:

Assistance in surgical operations

Delivery of medications and diagnostic equipment to and from remote locations using unmanned drones

Rapid transportation of hasardous material, blood products, organs, vaccines, and medical devices.

Patient relations and support services

Medical communication

Disinfection of medical facilities to decrease infection transmission

The implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) in healthcare is undoubtedly beneficial. It is a proven fact that it improves efficiency, reduces costs, boosts productivity, and frees up much needed time and resources for focusing on providing quality patient care. For this reason, medical robotics are revolutionising the way our healthcare functions.

This type of technology is becoming extremely popular amongst the increasingly health aware and tech-savvy population. It allows individuals to literally take their health into their own hands. Health wearables and mobile technologies enable continuous health monitoring and offers a personalised and data-rich proactive approach to self-care. In addition to improved patient engagement, exercise techniques and overall health awareness, this plays a vital role in prevention of certain conditions especially cardiovascular disease, and has many benefits for the mental health.

Cloud technology is gaining rapid popularity in healthcare with a forecasted yearly growth rate of over 10% worldwide. It allows patients and healthcare staff the rapid and easy access to vital data remotely. It does this through the implementation of remote servers that can be accessed via the internet and is used for the storage, management and the processing of data. So what are the benefits of cloud computing? Below are several benefits of its use in health care:

Implementing cloud technology ensures better quality, safety and efficiency of health services, improves the coordination of care, and helps maintain patient privacy and security. This has resulted in the vast majority of healthcare organisations to opt for paperless record-keeping and turn to cloud storage.

Cloud technology facilitates the sharing of patient data between different healthcare professionals and multi-disciplinary teams through accessible electronic medical records. This makes it much easier to provide a collaborative approach to care provision, and improves overall quality of patient care.

Cloud technology is associated with reduced data storage costs compared to traditional on-site storage facilities, since all the steps involved in the process are usually managed by one provider from administration and construction to management and development. Additionally, providers of cloud storage solutions use economies of scale to reduce overall costs associated with data management. Therefore, healthcare organisations can improve their budget and resource allocation to providing better quality patient care.

Cloud computing provides adequate protection to patients' sensitive information compared to traditional in-house data storage methods, which could easily be stolen, lost or damaged, which would pose a significant concern for patient privacy and security.

The widespread implementation of cloud computing has made vital data more 'visible' which has permitted the analysis of large amounts of available data for the detection and response to public health threats, and therefore improved patient outcomes.

The digitisation of cloud-based storage means that massive quantities of valuable clinical data can be readily accessible for the use of future research and analysed more effectively.

Cloud technology creates a shared interface between different medical devices and health applications, which permits the free exchange, storage, and maintenance of valuable data.

Telehealth, which includes aspects such as telemedicine and telecare, includes all areas of health that use new information and communication technologies. Although the concept has existed for a while, the COVID pandemic has definitely put a spotlight on the importance of telehealth as a tool for the safe continuity of care.

Applications of telemedicine in healthcare is numerous; from management of chronic conditions and follow-ups, to drug prescription compliance and prevention advice, telemedicine offers unique experience that involves the provision of effective high quality remote care, and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship like never before.

Patients with non-urgent medical conditions seeking medical attention can gain remote access to healthcare providers fairly rapidly, often at a more affordable price, allowing for better convenience - especially for patients with mobility issues and chronic conditions, avoiding issues associated with staff shortages, and reducing health risks associated with not seeking medical assistance. Furthermore, telehealth improves communication between healthcare organisations and patients by enabling direct messaging for responding about queries as well as promoting health education and awareness.

Advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, medical robotics, cloud computing, wearables, and telehealth are only a few out of many other trends that are transforming the healthcare industry. Healthcare experts and key opinion leaders need to have a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving landscape and latest trends in order to be able to identify suitable opportunities for business growth, maintain competition, and most importantly for the delivery of quality patient care.

New technology has significantly transformed the infrastructure of the healthcare industry. It has revolutionised the way it functions, and has streamlined many aspects of its daily operations. Having said that, new technology and digital transformation are not completely perfect because they too have their negative aspects. The storage of vast amounts of clinical data and ease of access raises concerns related to data protection. The increased dependency on sophisticated technologies also result in issues with effective integration and interoperability. Furthermore, healthcare organisations must abide by strict rules and regulations for their wide adoption into their operations. There is, also, the big question regarding cost effectiveness, or whether there is adequate user experience and acceptance of such new technologies, which is of top importance for their successful implementation.

New technologies must rapidly justify their added value by addressing each and every one of those issues in order to achieve satisfaction for all users - the patients and healthcare professionals, and ultimately improve clinical outcome.

Nevertheless, technology and the discovery of innovative solutions have resulted in outstanding achievements in healthcare, and have painted a promising picture for the industry, both for today and for the future.

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