How technology is improving healthcare

With the events of recent months, developments in healthcare are rapidly accelerating. And a huge focus is digital enablement. Historically, the healthcare market has had a cautious approach to deploying new non-clinical technology, but the pace of digital transformation has accelerated over the past year across all settings. And that means tech will have an increasingly big role to play. Technology is improving healthcare and it’s happening at lightning speed.

 

Foundation of tech deployments

The basics of all modern tech deployments are connectivity. A robust WiFi and wired connection are required. CommScope suggests you need a system that, “can easily deploy, manage and expand a converged IT/OT network, while addressing unique business outcomes. With the help of machine learning and AI, IT can troubleshoot faster and proactively create, measure and meet SLAs that address the evolving needs of their users.” With all these technological improvements, it takes a robust internet connection to ensure maximum utility. So, talk to an expert partner about your current deployment and if it’s fit for your purposes. Assuming you’ve got the foundations in place, tech can improve your healthcare offering by providing:

1. Records at the right time – IoT devices can help connect bedside displays to central databases, so treatment staff have access to full medical records on demand. In fact, Health Management states, “One of the biggest benefits of the digital revolution has been the ability to store and access data. Healthcare professionals can now retrieve patient data from anywhere. Also, the intranet and internet have allowed healthcare professionals to share medical information rapidly with each other, resulting in more efficient patient care.” IoT also makes it easier to collect and store data faster than ever before. This speeds up studies and cynical trials that benefit us all.
2. A learning environment – Siemens suggests you should “Continuously optimize, expand and advance digital adoption, enterprise performance and patient outcomes. Digitalizing healthcare is a culture, not a project.” And providing analysis and reporting on your organisation and the wider landscape can help share information to improve treatments for everyone. It can help track the spread of disease and prevent future pandemics through modelling and machine learning. And it can help us to understand demand, so hospitals and clinics deploy the right resources to the right places at the right time.
3. Remote engagement – The Medical Futurist states, “the future of medicine and healthcare is closely connected to the empowerment of patients as well as individuals taking care of their own health through technologies, I cannot leave out health trackers, wearables and sensors from my selection. They are great devices to get to know more about ourselves and retake control over our own lives.” And augmenting your official medical records with these readings is a way patients can use consumer tech to improve their healthcare outcomes. Plus, healthcare professionals can keep in more direct contact with their patients through email and text messages. This can break down the barrier of discomfort which causes some symptoms to go unreported.