Digitization in Healthcare

Rapid adoption of new technologies is being felt worldwide in almost every industry. It is making life more accessible and allows tasks to be completed at a much faster rate. The relentless pursuit of enhanced patient care, streamlined processes, and data-driven decision-making has given rise to a monumental shift— the era of healthcare digitization. This blog embarks on a compelling exploration into the profound impact of digital technologies on healthcare, unravelling the promises, challenges, and transformative potential that lie at the intersection of medicine and the digital frontier. 

1. Electronic health care records  It centralizes patient information, improving accessibility for healthcare providers, enhancing care coordination, and enabling data-driven decision-making.‍

2. Wearable devices in healthcare With the developing technologies, monitoring the human body has also increased, for e.g. – smart bands & smartwatches that monitor physiological functions 24 hours a day. These devices collect real-time health data, promote preventive care, and enhance patient engagement. They contribute significantly to healthcare digitalization by fostering a data-driven and patient-centered approach.

This helps to empower individuals to actively manage their health while providing healthcare professionals with valuable insights to deliver more personalized and proactive care. In addition, they also locate staff & hospital equipment in hospitals, thus increasing work efficiency, prevent disease development.\ 

3. Personalized Healthcare Leveraged advanced technologies tailor medical care to the specific needs of individual patients, i.e. genetics, genomics & all other biological information modality. It actively drives the digitalization of the healthcare sector by harnessing advanced technologies to tailor medical care to individual needs. ‍

4. AI & machine learning in diagnostics 

They are revolutionizing diagnostics with sophisticated, accurate & widely used AI powered tools, improving early disease detection & personalized treatment Plans. 

It streamlines administrative tasks, optimizing healthcare processes for better efficiency and patient care. Modalities like medical imaging analysis (CT-MRI, Xray), Genomic Analysis, etc. It thus helps in providing an effective and precise look through in the field of medicine. 

5. Enhanced Patient Experience 

Forget the days of waiting for hours in crowded hospitals only for lab results, with the apps. From telemedicine, remote consultation, wearable devices, accessibility, personalized health apps healthcare providers can not only improve patient satisfaction but also increase efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately provide more accessible and patient-centric care.

‍6. Data driven decision making Healthcare

It acts as a cornerstone of healthcare digitalisation , providing numerous benefits that contribute to improved patient outcomes, streamlined processes, and overall system efficiency and can benefit non sophisticated algorithms to harness vast data & generate actionable insights.

Accurate & timely data can help in treatment & diagnosis from bed management to patient flow. Comprehensive patient data shared across healthcare systems facilitates better patient care coordination. Continuous monitoring of patient data in real-time enables timely alerts for healthcare providers and data-driven insights empower patients to actively engage in their healthcare.

‍7. Automation 

The global AI market reached a value of $119.78 billion in 2022 & is expected to expand at a CAGR of 38% from 2022 to 2030. 

It helps hospitals in the best possible ways to do more with the learner workforce & fewer running resources, which results in time & cost savings.

‍8. Connected Ambulance 

It acts as an assistant to healthcare providers. It gathers & transmits the patient’s vital information. 

Doctors would already have access to all necessary information to do what is required. Medical procedures without wasting any time, even before a patient gets to the hospital. ‍

9. Blockchain

It is a series of blocks, connected together in a chain with each other storing records of economic transactions, has immense potential in healthcare. They address issues related to data security, interoperability, and administrative efficiency.

It plays a pivotal role in advancing the digital transformation of healthcare, fostering trust among stakeholders and improving overall system reliability.

10. Telemedicine and Virtual Visits

Phone or video appointments benefit the patient in many aspects, thus increasing patient compliance. It is one of the components of digitalization which enhances a patient's experience.

Conclusion- It can help – comfort and control infections, offer better assessment for management of chronic conditions & primary health care. It helps building a healthcare system more accessible, efficient, and personalized and ultimately improving the well-being of individuals and communities around the globe. 

Digitalization is a set of reactions initiating theories of success and acting as a catalyst to healthcare for a better tomorrow.  

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Uses of Digitalisation in HeHealthcare 

According to Deloitte Insights, digital health employs more than just technologies and tools; it also views "radically interoperable data, artificial intelligence (AI), and open, secure platforms as central to the promise of more consumer-focused, prevention-oriented care." Digitalisation helps in enhancing the interoperability between healthcare entities, remote patient monitoring, efficient data management, reduced paperwork, patient empowerment, improved accessibility, centralization, etc. Enhanced patient portals provide individuals with secure access to their health records, test results, and personalized health information. Predictive analysis forecasts potential health risks and complications based on individual health data, thus allowing for proactive interventions and preventive measures to improve health outcomes.

Discovering the true impact of technology on healthcare 

They have helped to increase the efficiency within imaging departments-where these are high levels of staff burnout and increasing demand of health care workers.

The WHO predicts that the demand for healthcare workers will rise to 18.2 million across Europe by 2030.Healthcare recognises that intelligent technology applications can improve efficiencies that then help to improve patient care and the lives of healthcare providers.

Digitising and improving operational efficiencies with AI tools

Demand for medical imaging continues to grow, imaging modalities like X-Ray, which is painless, non-invasive, convenient and fast.

X-Ray has contributed to more than 80% of the estimated 4.2 billion imaging procedures performed in 2019.

Additionally, to improve the triage of urgent cases.

On Device X-Ray AI Algorithm

Developed by GE Healthcare also automatically analyses images.

Over 90% of patient details are positive in paper format. This makes it difficult to process patient information and derive relevant insights, increase the administrative cost and leads to delay.

According to health affairs, administrative spending (non-clinical cost of running the system) accounts for upto 30% of healthcare spending, moreover misplacing paper files shouldn’t come across as a surprise.

Genomic Studies

Genomic medicine helps to utilize genomic data to understand an individual’s genetic makeup, allowing for personalized treatment plans and targeted therapies, data integration to aggregate these diverse digital health platforms ensuring a holistic view of the individual’s health for informed decision-making. It can also be used in successful oncological treatment along with immune diseases like Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s.

Internet of medical things (IoMT)

It is the combination of medical devices and applications connecting to health IT systems that use networking technologies. 

Cleveland Clinic ranked smartphone-based pacemaker devices as a top innovation for 2021. Using a mobile app, smartphone-connected pacemaker devices can be designed to securely and wirelessly transmit data to a patient's network, giving patients better insight into the health data from the pacemakers and transmitting the health information to their physicians.

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