Besides the challenges caused by the pandemic and increasing patient expectations, the healthcare sector must meet new requirements regarding digitalization, personalized treatments, and evidence-based medicine. Therefore, healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs need to stay updated with the latest advancements in this industry. In this post, we will highlight the future of healthcare technology that you should expect in 2024. Let’s get started!
Current State of Healthcare Technology
According to Precedence Research, the global healthcare market was valued at $309.2 billion in 2023. This value is expected to reach $528.5 billion by 2030. The reason for this expectation is the increasing need for more efficient healthcare processes requiring more investments from medical organizations.
Many governments are stepping into this industry to push for healthcare digitalization. Therefore, many new technological products are introduced to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. At the same time, companies are increasingly collaborating to create innovative solutions.
In global healthcare services, the revenue grew from $7.4 trillion in 2022 to $7.9 trillion in the following year. And this number might reach $9.8 trillion by 2027. The growth takes place in every aspect, from labs, dental care, and home healthcare, to mental health, and hospitals.
Many new technological products are introduced to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. (Source: News-Medical)
Artificial Intelligence
When it comes to the future of healthcare technology, AI takes the center stage. It enhances diagnosis, streamlines administrative tasks, and stands at the forefront of personalizing patient care.
The intelligent algorithms of AI can analyze data to detect diseases in their early stages, facilitating the healing process. Also, AI chatbots and virtual health assistants reduce administrative work, so healthcare providers can focus on important patient care.
Additionally, AI analyzes individual patient data to create customized treatment plans. Personalized treatment plans become easier with advanced solutions from KMS Healthcare. Their intelligent systems will analyze patient big data to create effectively tailored treatment approaches.
On the other hand, predictive analytics take advantage of large datasets to obtain valuable insights into patient needs and trends. It can achieve that because it identifies patterns in historical data to predict potential health risks and improve clinical outcomes.
Finally, AI plays a crucial role in nursing education. Virtual simulations and AI training platforms provide realistic scenarios for nursing students to practice their skills. This learning experience enhances their clinical proficiency and prepares them for real-world healthcare settings.
When it comes to the future of healthcare technology, AI plays an important role. (Source: Forbes)
Compliance and Health Plans
The revised compounding standards in the United States Pharmacopeia officially came into effect on the 1st of November, 2023. There are significant updates regarding cooperating the scientific advancements and input from stakeholders.
They are a more practical and risk-based approach to determining beyond-use dates. They aim to provide clearer guidelines for facilities, equipment, and cleaning processes in the healthcare industry.
The revisions specifically impact the following sections:
- Chapter 795: Pharmaceutical Compounding—Nonsterile Preparations
- Chapter 797: Pharmaceutical Compounding—Sterile Preparations
- Chapter 800: Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings
Chapters 795 and 797 outline requirements for the compounding process, ensuring patients receive high-quality preparations. They can consistently meet the intended identity, and strength, and avoid contaminants. On the other hand, Chapter 800 establishes standards for handling hazardous drugs to minimize exposure for healthcare personnel, patients, and the environment.
However, there is a reality that only 31% of pharmacies are fully prepared to comply with the 2023 USP 797 reference standards.
Healthcare technology enables healthcare organizations to create tailored applications in cloud environments and streamline data flow. Hybrid cloud environments assist organizations in adhering to regulations like HIPAA and complying with new USP standards.
There are significant updates regarding the scientific advancements in the revised compounding standards in the United States Pharmacopeia. (Source: Perla)
Big Data and Analytics
Big data is a transformative technology for medical organizations to leverage the vast amount of data. The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to global data, while hospitals can greatly benefit from big data technology. Using big data analytics software and tools can help healthcare professionals:
- Analyze patient records to support diagnostics and treatment development.
- Customize treatments and therapies based on patient information.
- Predict potential health hazards and disease outbreaks.
- Monitor health trends and develop strategies for disease prevention.
Big data analytics provide valuable insights to create accurate diagnoses, personalized treatment plans, and disease progression. Therefore, they help enhance chronic care management and remote patient monitoring.
Remote monitoring technologies can collect continuous patient data to detect anomalies and trends. And these technologies enable timely interventions and improved outcomes. As a result, they benefit population health management by identifying high-risk populations to design targeted interventions.
Big data is a transformative technology for medical organizations to leverage the vast amount of data. (Source: Dimensional Insight)
Wearables and Sensors
Wearable devices and sensors will become the future of healthcare technology in 2024 because they help monitor patient conditions remotely throughout the day and enable patients to track their health. GWI reveals that 3 out of 10 internet users of working age own a fitness tracker or smartwatch.
Moreover, smartwatches can provide heart rate monitoring which is a vital health metric. But their capabilities go beyond this basic function. Smartwatches can also track physical health through pedometers and blood oxygen saturation measurements.
Specialized sensors help these devices detect low oxygen saturation, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. In addition, wearable devices and smart hospital beds equipped with sensors can offer IoT applications in healthcare.
These devices can detect falls or unusual patient movements and promptly trigger alerts to healthcare providers. In emergencies, IoT-enabled response systems can locate and track patients to ensure swift assistance.
Smartwatches can provide heart rate monitoring which is a vital health metric. (Source: Sterling Medical Devices)
Nanotechnology in Healthcare
Nanotechnology has immense potential in healthcare. It involves using tiny particles and robots called nanobots. These nanobots are hundreds of times smaller than a human hair. These nanobots can perform various beneficial tasks, including:
- Targeted drug delivery: Nanobots can deliver medication to specific cells, tissues, or organs precisely. It also minimizes the bad impact on healthy cells compared to conventional drug therapies.
- Diagnostics and screenings: Injected nanorobots can detect early signs of health issues before symptoms become apparent. They aid in early diagnosis and intervention.
- Precision surgery: Nanotechnology assists in delivering medications to specific locations or removing foreign objects and harmful substances in complex surgeries. This progress leads to less pain and increased precision.
- Cancer care: Nanoscale robots help in selectively destroying cancer cells while preserving surrounding healthy tissue. It improves the effectiveness and precision of therapy.
Nanotechnology has immense potential in healthcare. It involves using tiny particles and robots called nanobots. (Source: Netscribes)
In Conclusion,
The healthcare technology trends are the combination of innovation, data, and patient-centric care that will revolutionize the medical industry. All the above advancements in the future of healthcare technology, including predictive analytics, personalized medicine, etc. can enhance the quality of patient care as a result.
However, to take the most advantage of these advancements, you need to cooperate with experts in this industry. These experts can understand healthcare intricacies and possess technical expertise. KMS Healthcare’s experienced team can help you. They specialize in healthcare it managed services that are tailored to your specific needs.
Do you need more insightful healthcare IT consulting or want to leverage the potential of the trends? KMS Healthcare can cover those needs and bring you scalable and customized cutting-edge software solutions. Contact them now and elevate your healthcare services!
