The world is changing rapidly. New technologies are changing how we conduct our lives, and no industry has seen a more extraordinary revolution than the healthcare and life science industries. The reason for this goes well beyond simple advancements in technology.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic led to dramatic changes in how people live and how medical professionals and organizations provide patient care.
These industries had to make dramatic changes as trends developed. It’s essential that health tech and life sciences marketers understand these evolving trends.
Here are the five most extensive healthcare and life science tech trends you will see in 2022.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is finding its way into every area of society, but its uses in healthcare will be profound. Often there is a large amount of data, test results, and other information that needs to be waded through to determine the right course of action. AI allows physicians to have computers examine scams, such as x-rays and MRIs, evaluate the data in comparison to historical test results, and help physicians create the right treatment plan.
AI will likely change the healthcare industry more than simply evaluating patients. For example, Fathom, a leader in AI medical coding automation is transforming coding operations across healthcare.
With technology able to process information with greater speed and accuracy, AI has the power to automate routine tasks, freeing up people to focus on more complicated tasks.
Telehealth solutions
Telehealth exploded as a result of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Many doctors and other healthcare workers were worried about allowing patients to come to clinics or hospitals. With the vast majority of the country forced to stay home, healthcare had to adjust. This resulted in the more remarkable development of telehealth and virtual care solutions.
Telehealth allows professionals to evaluate their patients’ healthcare and concerns even from a distance. Doctors can even perform surgery on patients using computerized equipment —doctors may be thousands of miles away. Patient diagnosis and treatment have been affected dramatically by the advent of this technology.
Extended reality
Technologies such as augmented reality, mixed reality, and virtual reality (referred to using the catchall term “extended reality”) have become very popular in gaming and video games. However, the successful application of this technology in healthcare and life sciences is also starting to emerge.
Extended reality can enable patients to feel like they are in the therapist or doctor’s office. This can be beneficial in several ways. The most prevalent use is related to behavioral issues, such as those suffering from PTSD, anxiety, schizophrenia, or autism.
Situations where familiarity and comfort are essential as part of the treatment regimen. These technologies create a different “reality” for the patient, helping physicians and therapists better treat those suffering from cognitive conditions.
Wearable technology
One of the most complex challenges for providers is determining the causes of a patient’s health issues, especially when the chronic conditions are not readily visible in a short visit to the doctor’s office. The use of wearable technology4 has the potential to change that.
Wearables allow clinicians to view large amounts of data about the patient—outside the healthcare environment—and to intervene should an emergency arise. The technology can inform care teams on chronic conditions, providing valuable information and quick responses in emergencies.
The next challenge is how to access and harness the wearable data into existing healthcare technology infrastructure and clinical workflows.
Personalized care through genomics
Genomics is an exciting technology that is redefining personalized care. With this technology, doctors will be able to provide a unique treatment regimen based upon the genetic makeup of the individual. Not only will they be able to supply the proper amount of medication as needed, but can predict risk factors that may lead to such things as heart conditions, cancer, and other types of preventable diseases
Using the unique genetic code of each individual, doctors and clinicians will be able to find those biomarkers that will help them to determine the exact care that a patient needs. This will help them in determining the use of medications and other types of treatments.
This is clearly an exciting time in the medical/technology field, as innovations are helping physicians and clinicians to be able to provide treatments and medications that will focus on the care needed for each individual.
By being able to monitor patient data through apps and wearable technology and learning the genetic sequence of each patient, those in the medical field will be able to use such things as artificial intelligence to be able to develop the perfect treatment plan.
As a life sciences marketing agency, we help our clients understand how these trends impact your marketing goals and develop brand messaging that aligns with what’s happening in the market.
It is clearly an exciting time, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. You will want to keep up with the newest innovations by subscribing to our newsletter.
