Given the fact that healthcare companies are going all out in establishing digital healthcare, technology and healthcare are no longer dependent on one another. With each passing year, the technology trends in the healthcare sector only get bigger and better. In fact, healthcare companies are taking advantage of technologies originally developed in other industries and are leveraging them to improve and broaden their healthcare services portfolio. From technology trends ranging from cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) to virtual reality (VR) and telemedicine, healthcare technologies open the door to new possibilities for keeping people healthier, streamlining clinical communication, and improving the quality and efficiency of patient care. Hence, digitalization is the new normal in the healthcare sector. Here are the top medical technology trends that we are all excited about in 2018:
VR to deliver real benefits
Virtual reality(VR) is a technology that has garnered wide attention and appreciation in industries like the media and entertainment. However, recent developments in the healthcare sector are igniting high hopes for technology trends like VR to have a significant impact on the industry. VR tools will prove to be highly useful for healthcare companies in controlling pre- and post-surgery patient anxiety, controlling pain for numerous medical conditions, and helping veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, research has shown that VR games lowered acute pain levels nearly as effectively as narcotics. Virtual reality is also expected to revolutionize medical education and clinician training. VR instructional software is used to impart training for CPR, nasal gastric tube insertion, and wound care.
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EHR, mobile, and wearables
Electronic health records are gradually becoming a norm for healthcare companies. Furthermore, the use of mobile apps and wearables is on a rise. Also, telehealth and telemedicine solutions are also slowly gaining traction. The result of which previously unheard of quantities of medical data will be available to improve and extend healthcare services. Advanced healthcare technology trends such as wearable devices are also facilitating doctors in the real-time monitoring and prompt delivery of services.
Big data, privacy, and data security
More than anything, data is taking the center stage in the healthcare industry. Going forward, technology trends such as blockchain and artificial intelligence are expected to expand greatly in the digital health market. The use cases of AI in healthcare include supporting clinical decision-making and identifying patient health risk factors in advance. Through other avenues of this technology such as image recognition, it could also greatly help in diagnostics. AI is predicted to have a really big impact on the healthcare sector in 2018, and some experts believe it could bring about a true revolution as its use cases begin to grow. All the data from clinical and non-clinical sources have to be protected and secure as it is being shared across platforms to unlock new opportunities in healthcare service innovation. In order to satisfy the need for privacy and security, one of the most popular technology trends – the blockchain technology will find its way into healthcare in 2018. Industry experts believe that blockchain will be leveraged in more and more countries to enable the scaled, secure sharing of sensitive data of healthcare companies.
3D printing will become revolutionary
3D printing can be regarded as the ‘eye candy’ among the wide range of technology trends in the healthcare sector. 3D printing is used for the production of three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. This revolutionary technology is being used in healthcare to customize prosthetics and organ implants for patients. This technology is also being used to customize 3D drugs as per the requirements of the patients.
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