Healthcare has fast become a sector to receive large investment into digital transformation. Technology now plays a pivotal role in every part of the NHS as we look to care for and treat patients in safer, more efficient ways.
With our health system embracing digital, particularly in light of the devastating impact the pandemic has had on NHS waiting lists, the focus is now on what the next technological innovation will be. One of the emerging technologies starting to make waves in the sector is smart solutions such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Smart technologies, which not too long ago were considered costly and experimental, have quickly become affordable and accessible. These platforms are receiving financial backing from the government, who recently announced £36million of funding for 36 AI projects to transform care and accelerate diagnosis in the NHS.
The benefits that smart technologies can and are bringing to healthcare is monumental. From directing patients to the nearest car parking space to the department they are visiting, through to robotic surgery, these platforms can be implemented and used across the entire healthcare ecosystem.
Protecting patients
In terms of immediate benefits, smart devices can help tackle some of the major issues faced by the NHS, such as overcrowding. Hospitals being overrun with patients, combined with a lack of bed space, has been a challenge for the NHS for many years and COVID-19 has only exacerbated this further. One way this can be addressed is through using AI. Technologies such as at-home monitoring services allow patients to be cared for in their homes and can identify if they are showing any changes in their condition that require intervention so that prompt advice and guidance can be given to avoid deterioration and hospitalisation.
Platforms like these mean that hospitals can manage patients away from the hospital, freeing up bed space, allowing doctors to spend more time with patients that need it most.
Ensuring supply meets demand
It’s not just at home where smart technologies can help keep patients safe but also at the hospitals themselves, through ensuring services have sufficient amounts of vital equipment.
For example, we saw how during the height of COVID-19 how some hospitals were concerned that they did not have enough oxygen supplies to be able to treat patients that needed it. Running out of such an important resource could leave huge amounts of patients at risk and put a further strain on services as they look to find and use alternative solutions.
Smart technologies can help address this issue by monitoring when supplies of equipment such as oxygen are low and need to be replenished. Sensors can be attached inside oxygen tanks which monitor their levels remotely and automatically alert staff when the supply of oxygen is low. This means that hospitals are aware at the earliest possible point when more oxygen needs to be brought in and can do this before there is a risk of supplies running low. As a result, ensuring patients always have access and are able to receive the treatment they need.
Smart Technologies – Saving the NHS money
Finally, smart technologies are a valuable tool to help reduce costs for the NHS while not affecting the service it provides.
This can be achieved through implementing devices within buildings that identify where wastage can occur. One area where tackling wastage could produce significant benefits is water. The NHS consumes approximately 40-50 billion litres of water each year, representing an annual cost of approximately £60 million. This is a huge amount of money of which some could be directed into other services through more efficient water usage.
Sensors that can detect where water wastage is occurring through leakages, burst pipes or faulty systems, and can ensure these are prevented straight away, limiting their financial impact and saving valuable money which can then be directed elsewhere.
At the same time, as much as a third of cancellations are attributed to patients not following advice that had been given as part of the pre-assessment process, wasting both time and money for the NHS. Replacing manual pre-assessment services that involve patient visits to clinics for lengthy discussions, could be replaced with digital on-line systems which reduce the time needed for taking medical histories and gaining patient consent. Text messages can be sent to patients reminding them of any pre-operative advice they should take prior to elective admissions, such as which medicines to stop taking and what to bring into hospital.
Knowledge is power
With smart technologies opening up to the health sector, the question is how can hospitals ensure they can make the most of these solutions?
Many hospitals will have been working with the same systems for many years, making the overhaul of these processes a daunting task. The process of digital transformation required to implement smart technologies needs decision makers to take a leap of faith and someone to help them take that jump.
As such, these decision makers need to work with digital partners that have the correct and necessary experience to help them understand where the challenges lie and what needs to be done to put in place smart technologies that produce immediate and long-lasting benefits. There is no quick fix when it comes to successful digital transformation projects but collaborating with trusted providers will give hospitals the knowledge and guidance needed to help them on their way.
Digital innovation has gone from being an outsider to becoming central to how the NHS operates. Despite this, we’re only at the beginning of the journey to harnessing technology’s full potential in the sector. The rise of smart solutions such as AI, digital pathways, IoT and machine learning provides our healthcare system with a golden opportunity to create better, safer, more cost-effective services and through implementing the right technology and expertise, hospitals can quickly become digital hubs of the future, today.
By Lisa Greaves, Business Development Manager at Connexin Health