Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. Uberisation of the healthcare industry is required to radically change the way healthcare operates, and emerging technologies have the potential to positively impact the healthcare ecosystem.
Technology is the best way to achieve the vision of a connected healthcare ecosystem. Medical devices in hospitals/clinics, mobile care applications, wearables and sensors are all different forms of technology that are transforming this ecosystem. Healthcare industry must incorporate these emerging technologies for better revenue. Here are the disruptive technologies that are shaping the future of healthcare.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), in addition to holograms, are paving the way for precise surgeries with the help of 3D models of the patient which can be analysed in detailed by surgeons prior to performing the actual complex surgery.
AR is being used in medical education, where it has the potential to reduce the count of actual dissections, and greatly help in the study of human anatomy, histology and embryology. This is especially beneficial today when the need for doctors has vastly increased
3D Printing
3D printing is also becoming popular in this industry due to its wide variety of applications. From precise casts to an accurate replacement of bionic parts, it has found many uses in curing physical injuries. Bionic parts include not just accurate ears or teeth, but also tissues and organs made from the patient’s own cells to reduce the risk of rejection of organ transplants.
Also, 3D printing of complex vascular organs and anatomical models has increased the accuracy of surgical process and training. Even in pharmaceutical processes, it is helping in personalised drug dosing, drug delivery and drug release profiles.
Chatbots and AI assistants
With the future of healthcare focused on personalised care, the adoption of chatbots and AI assistants in this field is beneficial as these help in reducing the workload of doctors and ensuring convenience for patients, in addition to helping in therapy and 24x7 support for patients across the globe.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) refers to the worldwide network of interconnected medical devices and applications. The healthcare sector stands to gain a lot from this technology as IoMT has found applications in clinical as well as nonclinical scenarios. On the clinical side, IoMT is being used to monitor a patient’s vitals (temperature, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, respiration, ECG/EEG/EMG, etc.) and raise timely alarms.
On the non-clinical front, IoMT has found value in terms of asset tracking, tracking physicians’ adherence to hygiene standards, connecting ambulances to the hospital information system and much more.
