Top 5 Digital Healthcare Trends to Watch in 2023

Looking ahead to 2023, the healthcare industry is poised to experience a surge in growth with a plethora of breakthroughs and innovations. While there are still significant changes yet to come, the future of healthcare technology promises to deliver impressive new capabilities and strategic advancements.

In this article, we will examine the top medical technology trends and transformations that are expected to shape the landscape of medicine in the near future. With a focus on improving the quality and affordability of healthcare services, the goal is to predict and prevent diseases rather than solely treating them in advanced stages.

The US healthcare market is expanding at a rapid pace, and it’s estimated that the national healthcare product will reach a value of up to 6 trillion USD by 2026. With numerous healthcare opportunities available, it’s essential to leverage digital technology to improve business operations, increase staff efficiency, boost financial outcomes, and enhance the overall patient care experience. Don’t wait any longer to get started on preparing for these changes.

1. New AI Applications and Concerns of the Medical Community

One of the fastest-growing trends in health information technology: Recent years have seen the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and the trend will continue in 2023. Standing among many industries that benefit from AI, medicine mainly applies it to profound diagnostics and detection of diseases, but it’s not limited to them. For example, IBM Watson is one of the AI platforms already available for business and healthcare.

Let’s see what support AI can offer healthcare and associated industries, and how it could become a major health-tech trend in the future.

Computed Tomography Scan Analysis

Computed Tomography (CT) scans have become crucial in detecting COVID-19 pneumonia patterns in patients. However, the increasing demand for radiologists during the pandemic has created a shortage of skilled human resources in this field. This is where AI algorithms come into play, offering a swift and accurate solution to process CT scans and report COVID-19 patterns to clinicians.

Imaging COVID-19 and the Microsoft-backed Inner-Eye research project are two innovative deep learning models that use AI for automated detection of COVID-19 patterns on CT scans. While accuracy has dramatically improved, radiologists remain cautious about relying entirely on AI for crucial decisions, given the lack of accountability in case of a wrong diagnosis or counterproductive treatment.

Thus, most advanced clinics use AI as a supplementary tool to enrich research data or confirm existing diagnoses. Despite the limitations, AI-powered solutions have proven to be an effective way to compensate for the shortage of skilled human resources in computed diagnostic specialties during the pandemic.

Machine Learning in Biopharma and Medtech

AI is revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry by enabling faster drug discovery and research. A team of British and Japanese scientists patented the first drug molecule invented by AI in 2020, which is now being developed to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. AI-enhanced lab experiments have also discovered promising drug formulas for rare and dangerous diseases.

AI and machine learning are used to model molecules and simulate chemical reactions in multi-factor environments, minimizing onsite experiments and speeding up scientific breakthroughs. These healthcare technology trends are reducing costs and increasing efficiency in the industry while developing life-saving treatments. We can expect more breakthroughs in drug discovery as the pharmaceutical industry continues to adopt these innovative approaches.

Globalization of AI Requirements in Healthcare

The US FDA, Health Canada, and the UK’s MHRA have jointly created ten guidelines for Good Machine Learning Practice (GMLP) in healthcare. These principles will help developers and AI engineers produce safe medical devices and systems with AI/ML technologies. Governments are taking AI in healthcare seriously and are regulating AI implementation early on.

2. Nanomedicine

Nanotech is gradually becoming a part of our everyday lives, and recent breakthroughs in the field of nanomedicine are paving the way for even more revolutionary advancements in 2023. Nanomedicine involves the use of tiny, nanoscale materials and objects like biocompatible nanoparticles, nano-electronic devices, and nanorobots for specific medical purposes such as diagnosing and treating diseases.

One exciting application of nanorobots is their potential to act as hunters for cancer cells or viruses. A group of these microscopic robots can be injected into a patient’s bloodstream and programmed to seek out and destroy harmful cells, potentially offering a new way to fight diseases like tumors and arthritis on a cellular level.

Investors looking to get in on the ground floor of this exciting field should take note of the enormous potential that nanomedicine offers. While the technology is still in its early stages, the promise of these tiny robots offers hope for combating some of the most challenging diseases facing humanity today.

3. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

Although the IoMT is not a new thing in 2023, this sector will grow exponentially in the coming years. This industry involves plenty of digital health trends, and each of them offers excellent uses to healthcare specialists, with $ billions saved in return.

There are many companies providing IoMT solutions, including ITR, which can help you design and tune your IoMT system with the help of sophisticated custom software.

Wearables and Mobile Apps in Medical Practice

Remote health monitoring and wellness apps are on the rise and will keep booming in 2023. If you visit Google Play or iTunes catalogs, you’ll find a good few professional (and myriads of semi-professional) healthcare and wellness mobile apps.

Some of those mobile apps can synchronize with wearables, such as pulsometers or fitness trackers, to use vital sign data collected through the biosensors placed on your body to report or analyze your health conditions, such as pulse, body temperature, blood pressure, and other metrics.

ITR, for example, has recently developed an  generated by devices with superior arrhythmia detection.

ITR has fully resources in compliance with IEC 62304 safety standards in building Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), we can undertake full-cycle custom healthcare app development for your projects.

Smart autonomous devices in healthcare

Autonomous nursing robots or self-moving smart devices can greatly support medical staff by reducing their sanitation-related or supply management chores.

Different kinds of robots can work in various hospital-based locations and positions, which protects human employees from being exposed to infection risks or burnout due to immense strain placed on many US hospitals flooded by COVID-19 patients.

4. VR, Augmented, and Mixed Reality in Healthcare

One recent trend in healthcare information technology is computer-generated or augmented reality. This technology can improve medical diagnosis and education.

Augmented Reality in Medical Education and Decision-making

Virtual and augmented reality solutions offer a simulated environment for medical students to practice skills without visiting hospitals or dealing with patients. Augmented reality adds a layer of computer-generated information to the real world, allowing for hands-free access to data and reports via voice command or automatic display.

Digital Twin Technology in Healthcare

Mixed reality links virtual and real objects, allowing you to manipulate both simultaneously (called a digital twin). This technology can create accurate virtual replicas of real-life objects for testing in a simulated environment, making it ideal for developing medical devices and biocompatible materials. Prototyping in medical tech can be quicker and cheaper with this method.

Medical engineers can create a precise virtual model of an object and test it in a simulated environment, avoiding the need to create physical prototypes. Digital twin tech is also useful for remote surgery and other distant operations using remotely managed healthcare equipment. It can save time and costs in developing complex medical products, identify and fix their drawbacks, and improve the time-to-market metric.

5. Universal Adoption of Telehealth

The rise of digitized communication channels has impacted the healthcare industry, leading to the emergence of telehealth. This involves using various communication technologies like the Internet, videoconferencing, and streaming services to provide remote healthcare services, including long-distance patient education. In 2021, telehealth gained recognition and became a standard practice, with advanced clinics virtually consulting patients. Telehealth is expected to gain regulatory approval and replace traditional in-house consultations in the coming years.

China plans to introduce telehealth in 70% of public hospitals by 2023, while the US government intends to create more off-site options to reduce healthcare service costs. Other countries are also developing their own telehealth projects to cater to local needs. The introduction of 5G wireless technology is expected to further accelerate the adoption and growth of telehealth in the near future.

Sources of content: collections