Top 5 Healthcare Trends for 2023
The world is very different from a decade ago, and nowhere is this more evident than in healthcare. The aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, combined with the financial recession and accelerated adoption of technology and digitalization, has dramatically changed the face of everyone, patient and practitioner alike.
Here's my overview of the most important trends for the next 12 months:
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
The artificial intelligence (AI) market specifically, machine learning (ML) tools in healthcare is expected to reach $20 million by 2023. Various AI-related technologies, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and pattern recognition algorithms, are already deeply embedded in the healthcare ecosystem and will continue to be adopted in 2023 as evidence of their usefulness grows. Some examples of domains using AI include drug discovery, which can help predict the outcomes of clinical trials and potential side effects of new drugs, and medical image analysis, which involves using computer vision algorithms to spot early warning signs of disease in X-rays or MRI scans. It is also successfully used to detect and treat neurological disorders, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Outside of frontline clinical work, AI is also being applied to clerical tasks such as processing insurance claims and managing or analyzing medical record keeping. It can also be used to analyze data collected from patient wearables or home sensors used in a virtual hospital environment (more on this in my next trend) to provide early warning or predictive diagnosis of various conditions. Taken together, all of these use cases suggest that AI and ML will continue to be a notable trend in healthcare in the coming year.
Medical services delivered remotely have increased significantly during the pandemic. Even though it is now generally safe to resume in-person routine appointments, many patients and providers have realized that, in many cases, more efficient and cost-effective care can be provided remotely.
Telemedicine falls into many different categories. Increases in home care are being driven by evidence that familiar surroundings and proximity to family can positively influence patient outcomes, and that home care is more cost-effective than inpatient care. Then there's telemedicine, which covers everything from video calling your doctor instead of visiting their procedure to telesurgery, in which surgeons use robotics to operate on patients in remote locations. Another telehealth model is the virtual hospital room, which involves practitioners in a centralized location providing care to many remote patients, often with related conditions. Another initiative involves having patients complete more procedures related to their disease and treatment at home before admission. In the UK, for example, it is planned to roll it out to all patients facing hospital surgery in 2023.
In addition, there is a growing understanding of the importance of online communities, which may be patient-led rather than practitioner-led, or may be run by charities related to specific health conditions, where users can come together to share disease-related help and Advise on their treatment and rehabilitation. Some examples of these include Patients Like Me, Care Opinion, and cancer.org.
As the cost of providing in-person healthcare continues to rise, and there is a continuing shortage of doctors in many countries, it is safe to assume that telehealth of all kinds will be a growing trend in 2023.
Retail medical
According to researchers at Forrester, the volume of healthcare business conducted through retail stores will double by 2023. The trend is becoming more pronounced as retailers such as Walmart, Amazon and CVS offer health care services such as blood tests, vaccinations and physicals. A ups traditionally given by a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office. This trend will become even more pronounced as global economic conditions lead to tighter budgets in traditional front-line primary care settings. As retail healthcare providers capitalize on consumer expectations for a simplified customer experience and choice to create services, the situation is compounded by the fact that patients will increasingly find services that are more convenient and valuable than traditional primary care services. As Forrester’s research puts it, “By 2023, patients will choose retail healthcare for their primary care needs as health systems are constrained by under-resourced systems unable to match retail’s enhanced patient experience.”
Traditional healthcare providers. They are also less affected by a shortage of trained clinical staff, a problem that many countries are currently experiencing — a problem that is only expected to worsen.
Wearable Medical Devices
By 2023, individuals will increasingly use wearable devices to track their health and exercise activity, and clinicians will increasingly use wearable devices to monitor patients remotely. The "Internet of Medical Things" has expanded rapidly in recent years, from simple devices designed to track vital signs such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels, to smart watches capable of complex scans such as electrocardiograms, and smart textiles capable of detecting and predicting blood pressure. Heart attack risk, and a smart glove that could reduce the tremors experienced by Parkinson's patients. In addition to physical ailments, there is increasing focus on developing wearable devices that can monitor and detect signs of mental illness. A study published this year showed how to use physical indicators such as activity levels, sleep patterns and heart rate to detect when an individual may be at risk for depression, and we may soon start to see medical wearables join some of these Function.
By 2023, we will increasingly see wearable medical devices acting as "edge" devices, meaning they will be equipped with processors and be able to utilize on-device analytics, rather than requiring data to be sent back and forth between the device and the cloud to be processed. This has two main benefits: The first is privacy, since sensitive personal data never has to leave the device. Second, speed -- critical for devices designed to detect and warn of potentially life-threatening conditions in real time.
personalized medicine
During 2023, patients will have more opportunities to receive personalized medical services tailored to them. This includes the concept of precision medicine, where drugs and other treatments are tailored specifically to a group of patients based on factors such as age, genetics or risk factors, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The most advanced and precise form of personalized healthcare takes into account a person's genetic information, or genome, that can help healthcare practitioners predict how effective specific drugs will be or whether they are likely to have side effects. AI and ML algorithms are sometimes used to assist in these predictions.
The term personalized healthcare is also sometimes used to refer to initiatives that allow patients to make more choices about how their care is planned and delivered. This usually involves developing an individual treatment plan for the individual, taking into account their own circumstances, perspectives and beliefs when choosing how and where to receive treatment. The same is true in the wider economy outside of industry and healthcare, where each form of personalization is likely to be a major trend throughout 2023.
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