2020 and, so far, 2021, have been unprecedented years for the health industry. The COVID pandemic has caused chaos in so many areas of life, but for the healthcare sector, it has proved to be both a bonus and a catastrophe. While medical facilities and those working within the profession have struggled to cope with the impact of the virus, the wellness industry overall has seen an increase in its profits as more people have focused on their well-being due to their fears of catching the potentially fatal disease.
Of course, the healthcare industry is always in a state of flux and change, but in 2021, it has seen impressive growth, especially in the field of technology, according to Avner Brodsky – CEO of SuperMedical.
Technology and the health sector have been working hand-in-hand for some time thanks to the latest advances, but due to the coronavirus outbreak around the globe, the course that this partnership has taken has been diverted. This has meant that the impact of some of the change’s biggest drivers such as AI and the IoT has been felt in somewhat different ways than would otherwise have been anticipated.
Advanced research has taken a far more active role in the healthcare sector over the past year and a half. Medicine, social care, environmental health, and, of course, vaccines – the focus has shifted in order to handle this ongoing health crisis. This means that all key trends from smart medicine and biotechnology to augmented and virtual reality have had a part to play.
Now, these areas of growth within the industry are showing an impact, with breakthroughs that have been enabled by innovation’s accelerated pace over the past 18 months equipping the population more effectively to face and tackle new challenges.
Healthcare Pervading Every Sector
Before 2020, only certain organizations could call themselves tech companies. Today, far more companies have had to embrace technology since computing and data have been at the forefront of everything that we’ve had to do and accomplish over the past year. Now, all companies are also learning to become healthcare companies too to safeguard both customers and employees as a key element of their business model.
The COVID pandemic has led to enhance biosecurity measures including screening technologies on-premises, sanitization stations, and even quarantine measures where staff cannot work at home and must attend the site. Technology-driven innovations surrounding these areas are already bringing improved safety measures as well as early-warning systems that will reduce the chance of any contagious illness pervading the workplace.
Many companies still find it safer for their employees to stay working remotely for at least the rest of this year, and maybe even for the foreseeable future. This raises a host of other healthcare challenges – for example, the need to support workers’ mental well-being as they tackle both work and home responsibilities.
Also, without any face-to-face contact on a daily basis, managers must find ways of assessing if teams are struggling with their workload or facing issues with their well-being. Technology, once again, is playing a part in helping to mitigate those dangers, including the use of smartwatches and health apps to monitor activities and remind the wearer to exercise and take breaks, mindfulness and meditation apps to reduce stress levels, and therapeutic services that are delivered remotely.
Remote Medicine and Virtual Care
This brings us to the next development in the health sector for 2021 – remote medicine and virtual care.
The COVID pandemic has brought to the fore the ability to receive healthcare at home instead of in a doctor’s office or clinic. For patients who have routine and minor appointments, virtual doctor visits have become the norm, with the number of people consulting with their physician online skyrocketing during the pandemic.
Not only does the provision of remote medicine reduce the chance of contagion spreading, but it also enables doctors to fit more patient consultations into a schedule that is already extremely busy. This is especially important in countries that are highly populated and in areas where doctors aren’t found in large numbers.
One further facet of this health development is the development of autonomous and robotic healthcare assistants that can work in individual’s homes and in hospitals. As these assistants aren’t human they reduce the chance of infection spreading – something that has always been an issue in hospitals even before the pandemic arose. They can also help to improve the mental health of those who struggle with social isolation and loneliness – companion robots that have been introduced into certain care homes have been found to be very helpful in this regard.
Gene Editing And Genomics
Gene editing allows specific traits which are inherited by new cells to be influenced, allowing new proteins to be created when existing cells divide. Known as phenotypes, these traits govern the longevity of a cell and its ability to survive illness or injury among other factors. When these phenotypes are manipulated via techniques like CRISPR-Cas9, it’s possible to treat killer diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Recent breakthroughs in this area are leading to accelerated treatments (called precision medicine) being developed. These allow the customization of drugs to match an individual patient’s genetic profile to maximize their effectiveness while reducing unwanted side effects.
Furthermore, this advanced technology can create something known as a laboratory on a chip to detect infections quickly. This has been imperative in identifying of coronavirus infection in individuals. Handheld devices are now in development to detect whether or not someone has the infection without needing to rely on indicators like temperature or coughing which are notoriously inaccurate, and these could help to return normality to lives in the near future.
AI And Data Driving A Shift Towards Fairer Healthcare Coverage And Insurance
Over the past year, the amount of data that has been collected about our health has grown considerably. Not only from interactions with healthcare providers and medical services but also from online activities and smart devices. This means that providers can obtain a more accurate image of when and where interventions are likely to be needed.
If there is one thing that the COVID pandemic has revealed, it’s that we are willing to share personal data if there are clear benefits for our health and well-being. Track and trace systems, for example, are a prime indicator of this shift in attitudes, and in many regions, these systems have been able to keep infection levels reliably in check.
In financial terms, this is especially important. After all, coronavirus has proved to be very expensive for the medical sector, with revenues having fallen by around half in America because patients have been avoiding surgeries and hospitals.
An increased reliance is now likely to arise on artificial intelligence-driven prediction tools that will more accurately forecast where resources should be used for maximum efficiency. Not only that, but providers of health insurance are also set to increase their use of predictive advanced technology so they can gain a better understanding of risks and set premiums for consumers more accurately.
Smart Cities, IoT and AI Is Improving The Ability To Identify And Respond To Outbreaks In The Future
The term “smart cities” is used to refer to the idea of building automatic decisions driven by data and digital connectivity into the everyday fabric of life in cities and towns around the world. This includes the planning of public transportation networks, collection of refuse, distribution of energy and initiatives surrounding environmental health. IoT and AI have proven to be essential for many initiatives within this area.
During the COVID pandemic, there has been a switch in the focus of smart city innovation towards managing and planning how increasing numbers of people can live ever-closer to each other in urban areas. Within developing countries, this is an especially difficult challenge to face since urban populations are growing even faster. It has been predicted that almost 70% of the population of the world will be living within urban areas within the next 30 years.
Like many other companies that are focusing on health in 2021 and beyond, city planners and municipal authorities are also taking this approach, using the keyword resilience as their mantra. They are dedicated more resources than ever before to developing technologies that will help to avoid the serious impact on our economies and lives of health outbreaks and pandemics.
A major focus is also being placed on environmental health, with technology-driven initiatives being introduced to reduce air pollution while building greater resilience to changes that are climate-driven such as rises in temperatures and sea levels. These are likely to continue to be the center of focus as we progress on through the rest of this decade.
Clearly, there has been a considerable change within the health industry in 2021, and the COVID pandemic lies at the heart of that growth. As we move forward through the rest of this year and beyond, the focus looks set to stay firmly on our well-being, and that won’t be changing any time soon.