In terms of monitoring and management, the healthcare sector has specific needs. To help medical professionals in their respective fields, expert tech companies offer digital solutions adapted to these unique requirements.
Development companies like Diversido offer various data analytics and automatization software that help the healthcare industry keep up with the pace of today's world.
5 Innovations That Impact the Healthcare Industry the Most
In the last decade, technology has driven the healthcare sector through various innovations in the detection and prevention of ailments as well as the healthcare process itself. Moving forward, it is critical to be aware of the trends that will help shape the industry. Let's take a look at the top technologies that are changing the world of healthcare right now.
1. Wearables and Apps
Wearables and associated apps have been among the most popular and reachable health technologies for the last few years. Wearable medical devices are popular with consumers of all ages, as they allow the monitoring of vital signs in real time.
In addition to the increasingly popular Fitbit and Apple Watch, there are other technologies that not only record data but also perform certain actions on commands or based on the situation. Among them are connected bandages, or "smart bandages." Equipped with sensors, these wound dressings can measure the size of the wound they cover to determine whether it is healing, detect any infection, and administer local treatment if necessary.
Another excellent example is the Blood Sugar Monitor developed by Withings. Based on the person's biomarkers, the device can identify certain pathologies such as type 2 diabetes or heart rhythm irregularities (the cause of one-third of all strokes). Moreover, the application connected to the device offers users customized training programs.
A technical start-up called Circular produces a smart ring that can collect health data even when the person is sleeping. Direct contact with the skin guarantees the accuracy of the data: blood oxygenation level, heart rate, skin temperature, sleep metrics, fitness activity, etc.
2. AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises a complete transformation of the healthcare sector. The development of machine learning algorithms, the rise of digital and biometric data, and the acceleration of computing power are driving this revolution.
What opportunities does AI offer for medicine and healthcare:
AI is capable of exploiting data from research and enabling more reliable and faster diagnoses. Let's take the example of the IBM Watson technology, also called "IBM supercomputer". Thanks to this artificial intelligence, it is possible to process patient data, use data sources, and form a hypothesis that will be expressed in natural language.
In medical imaging, AI is now everywhere thanks to the development of algorithms called "neural networks." AI can secure a better diagnosis by classifying an image (scanner, X-ray) in a specific category of pathology.
Today, AI has become the doctor's ally. It can remotely measure body constants such as heart rate, saturation, and respiratory rate. The camera can identify pallor, cyanosis, weight loss, and changes in skin texture imperceptible to the naked eye. Artificial intelligence optimizes the detection of symptoms and promotes predictive monitoring of the development of a disease. This ambitious technology promises to help diagnose, make decisions, personalize treatments, and self-manage pathologies.
AI solutions promise to limit medical errors. The health sector must therefore respond to strategic challenges in terms of training health professionals. Within hospitals, all staff must be able to understand the features and limitations of AI.
Thanks to AI, the patient is now more involved in the follow-up and management of their disease. This is particularly true for patients suffering from pathologies such as diabetes, hypertension, or chronic ailments.
3. Telemedicine
Thanks to telemedicine, the patient can benefit from a remote consultation with their attending physician, without having to travel to the hospital or doctor's office. All they have to do is connect to their smartphone and follow the instructions of the health professional.
The main applications of telemedicine nowadays:
Teleconsultation: allowing a remote consultation with a health professional, including a general practitioner or a specialist.
Tele-expertise: allowing several health professionals to consult each other and share their medical opinions on a critical, complicated, or urgent case.
Remote monitoring: allowing a quick and practical medical follow-up. Nurses, caregivers, home care workers, doctors, and other healthcare professionals can monitor their patient's health in real time and at a distance.
Tele-assistance: allows health professionals to remotely assist their colleagues or others during a medical intervention.
Medical hotline: allows health professionals to advise a patient depending on the situation. In case of emergency, the medical hotline can also quickly direct the patient or their relatives to nearby health care centers or guide them in performing first aid.
The main objective of telemedicine is the improvement of the medical service: the consultation process, the diagnosis, the prescription of treatments, and the follow-up of the patient. It is a quick solution that facilitates access to care and specialized medical services for those who cannot benefit from them properly, especially the inhabitants of a town subject to the medical desert.
4. Robotics
The use of robotic technology allows for better visualization, greater dexterity, increased accuracy, and excellent ergonomic comfort adapted to complex medical procedures.
It is estimated that in 2021, one in three operations in the United States was performed using robotic systems. Minimally invasive surgery reduces scarring and complications. Robots are more often used by hospitals for outpatient surgery, a mode of operation that the government wants to promote to cut costs: it aims to have 70% of operations performed in an outpatient setting by 2023.
An example from modern practice is the Da Vinci robot. It has three or four arms, one of which is equipped with an endoscope (camera), and the others with scalpels. The doctor controls them from a console on which he sees a 3D image of the area to be operated on. The main advantage is that the robot allows for minimally invasive surgery through small incisions.
In addition to assisting surgeons, robots can also be used to assist patients in their daily lives. Thus, they can have multiple applications to help disabled people or nursing staff. For example, the Obi robot has a robotic arm that serves food to people with disabilities. The robot is "programmed" by guiding the arm toward the destination. It then reproduces the gesture while avoiding potential obstacles.
5. 3D Printing
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, continues to gain ground in the healthcare sector. And this technology seems promising for both the patient and the healthcare professional. Various objects, medical devices, or even medicines can already be made using this method. And there are many avenues for innovation. Thanks to the 3D printer, it is now possible to produce custom-made medical devices in a short time.
Additive manufacturing is a dream for the medical world because it is proving to be, in many areas, the perfect tool for individualizing care to the right needs of patients while simplifying the lives of practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, etc.
Equipped with a 3D printer, a hospital of the future would be able to reproduce models of tens of thousands of medical devices with the technical files describing the manufacturing processes and the required validations in order to certify the conformity of the manufactured products.
Some examples of the use of 3D printing in medicine and healthcare:
1. Printing of devices (ancillaries, syringes, surgical instruments).
2. Printing a part of a patient's anatomy for pre-operative training. The possibility of exactly reproducing an anatomical part allows surgeons to rehearse motions and to be more efficient and quicker during the operation.
3. Printing of custom-made parts (prostheses, crowns, grafts). 3D printing makes it possible to have implantable medical devices made according to the data acquired by imaging and perfectly adapted to the anatomy of each patient.
4. Bioprinting. Technology that uses the principles of 3D printing to fabricate living biological tissues from a biological ink through a layer-by-layer assembly of cells in a computer-defined arrangement. Researchers have devised "biological inks" to print these layers. Typically made of water-based gel or cell aggregates, they provide a cell-compatible structure so that, once printed, they can grow into a stable structure that will withstand subsequent steps.
The increase in resolution and precision of 3D printing now makes it possible to recreate increasingly complex functional tissues. The latest advances in blood vessel printing, in particular in Inserm laboratories, give hope for new discoveries and innovations in the years to come.
Conclusion
The rapid and inescapable evolution of technology has led to great improvements in science and medicine.
Twenty years ago, telemedicine, robot doctors, or 3D-printed organs were considered science fiction. Modern technologies such as robotic assistants, virtual doctors, and phone apps are being integrated into the field of medicine and healthcare to improve the quality of services, increase the efficiency of treatment and patient care, and maintain public health. There are even more discoveries ahead that will raise the level of medicine.
