Digital transformation and data analytics are revolutionizing the healthcare sector. People are constantly exploring ways in which digital advances could make us all healthier. Software-based technology, data analytics and connected devices can work together to transform every aspect of this business.
The process of digital transformation is set to have an enormous impact on our health and fitness. Not only will these advances affect the quality of life for millions, but they could also have far-reaching implications for the healthcare sector and employers in general.
Some of the ways in which digital technologies could help us live longer, healthier and more productive lives are listed below:
Genomics
Genomics involves the sequencing and analysis of an organism’s genome. Increased computer processing power is beginning to unlock the true potential of human DNA analysis – enabling truly personalized testing and treatment that could massively improve patient outcomes for a huge range of diseases.
Wearables
Smart health monitors that can collect personalized, real-time data, inspiring healthier lifestyles, and collecting packs of data to feed into medical research. Some companies have already introduced wearables into the workplace to boost performance. Companies can recommend healthier habits, often leading to higher productivity, by monitoring the stress levels and health of their staff.
Big data used in medicine
As more and more DNA gets analyzed, wearables gather more lifestyle data, and medical records are then digitized with much more details leading to comparative analysis of the patient. Comparing the responses of patients with similar DNA, lifestyles and medical histories, the data allows us to truly understand the health risks and the impacts of different treatments.
Social media hospital reviews
Healthcare providers and regulators alike are increasingly using patient reviews collected through social media or digital surveys to detect potential issues and improve the quality of care. The immediacy of social media and its capability to spread both positive and negative messages so extensively may see healthcare providers responding ever faster to customer feedback. Social media may become the feedback mechanism that leads to continual optimization of health services.
Digital trend monitoring
By tracking keyword activity on social media and search engines, trends towards searches for certain medical symptoms are increasingly being used to help identify and respond to disease outbreaks. This awareness is of course beneficial to any organization in the health sector, but it can be beneficial for any employer seeking to keep their employees healthy or well-staffed. For a large employer, accurate interpretation of the data could lead to a range of possible provisions – from the arrangement of more tissues for an outbreak of the common cold to hiring extra freelance staff to fill in for employees who require sick leave. When the algorithms guess these trends precisely, the impact can be immense – but there are serious challenges to overcome.
Genetic engineering
While genetic engineering of human DNA to fight disease remains deeply controversial, gene therapy and the use of genetically-modified viruses to tackle diseases are becoming ever more popular, while genetically-modified mosquitos are also being deployed in the fight against malaria and the Zika virus.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is likely to have the most transformative effect on more remote communities, where conducting remote assessments of patients via mobile phones has started to provide access to medicine for some of the world’s poorest people at a fraction of the cost of providing roving doctor services.
This trend has improved creative solutions that influence the ability of connected technologies to reach people who would otherwise find it difficult to access healthcare information.
Surgical robots
The use of robotic surgical apparatus can enable specialist surgeons to treat patients residing miles away, reducing the need to travel for treatment. In time, they may be able to operate independently.
3D Bio-printing
The ultimate medical dream has come closer to reality, researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine publicized that they have successfully rooted 3D printed bone, muscle and tissue into animals. By means of DNA analysis, we’re approaching the age of customized replaceable body parts. It’s not just replacement – perhaps the future may present us with the possibility of custom-made body parts that could even improve functionality.
Conclusively providing for the healthcare requirements of older workforce employers will need new solutions to keep down the cost of accessing healthcare and to limit the lost productivity activated by health issues. Organizations that choose to hold and advance new health technologies could contribute to a healthier population at large and also help their bottom line performance.
– Poonam Yadav