Six tech innovations changing healthcare right now | Jul19 Newsletter
Digital technology is transforming all aspects of our lives, including the healthcare sector – where innovation is being driven by advances in AI (artificial intelligence), nanomedicine, wearables and the insights big data analytics can provide.
The net result is a big change in the way healthcare is delivered and how patients receive new therapies, with medical staff and administrators the other beneficiaries.
However, what does it look like in practice, and what overall impact will this tech have? Let’s take a look at six tech innovations shaping healthcare right now – including AI, nanomedicine, robotics and promising emerging treatments that could transform millions of lives.
1. The power of AI
AI technologies – specifically, AI-powered algorithms – have the potential to replace many intensive manual tasks and speed up analysis of big data. This will act as a key timesaver and productivity-booster for time-poor medical staff – and help turbocharge analysis of medical records, improve existing medicines and accurately diagnose diseases more quickly. The best part is that many AI-driven systems perform equally or better than current human-based standards.
2. Nanomedicine and nanodevices
Nanomedicine – involving microscopic devices placed inside a patient's body to perform a diagnosis or monitor a metric – is no longer a futuristic fantasy. The benefits of this tech are numerous, including helping healthcare professionals monitor patient health, predicting risk with a greater degree of certainty, rapidly confirming a diagnosis and collaborating with patients more effectively. Nanodevices could also reduce the need to have injections, with medication slowly released from a single, nanoparticle-based pill.
3. Robot-assisted surgery
Robotics is big news in many sectors, and it’s already present in our operating theatres. Robotic surgery promises more precise control, especially in complex, delicate procedures. A typical scenario is a surgeon operating a miniature device with a camera that gives them a high-definition view of the patient’s body and organs. For surgeons and hospitals, the tech not only promises fewer complications but also reduces the likelihood of infections.
4. Swallow your smart pill
We already live in the era of the smart pill: so-called ‘ingestibles’, which can function as a wireless patient monitor or aid invasive diagnostic imaging procedures. An Israeli company has already developed a battery-powered camera pill that can provide footage of a patient’s intestinal tract. Similarly, Google is developing a pill that could pre-emptively identify diseases even before symptoms present. This would enable a personalised, preventive care regime to stop the disease in its tracks.
5. Virtual healthcare
Otherwise known as telemedicine or telehealth, virtual healthcare allows patients to be treated remotely and reduces the need for face-to-face appointments with a doctor. A combination of medical apps, wearable devices and videoconferencing tools will make this a reality. Convenience and ease of use are the primary benefits for patients, while virtual care could potentially free up untold hours for overstretched medical staff – a win-win for all concerned. Digital health solutions like these will also increasingly encourage and empower individuals to help monitor and manage their health, and reduce pressure on medical staff and facilities.
6. Emerging treatments
As healthcare-focused tech continues to advance, numerous cutting-edge medical innovations are still in development. DNA nanotechnology, for example, could be used to deliver drugs directly into cells. Then there’s bio-printing, an emerging medical technology where artificial organs are created and grown in a patient’s body, lowering the chance of tissue rejection.
While technological advances continue to transform the medical field, it is clear that we’ve barely scratched the surface of tech-driven possibilities, with significant implications for the future of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.