The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought unprecedented and, in some cases, permanent changes to the healthcare industry. However, it can be said that these changes have had positive implications that will last beyond the current health crisis and are rapid advancements.
With Healthcare tech constantly growing, what are the technology trends in 2021?
Artificial Intelligence Against Covid-19
Artificial intelligence plays a critical role in the fight against COVID-19, including pandemic detection, vaccine development, thermal screening, facial recognition with masks, and analysis of CT scans.
To predict the risk of the disease becoming a pandemic, the following threat vectors are analyzed:
- Insect and animal populations
- Global and regional climate conditions
- Flight data and itineraries worldwide
- The capacity of health systems
- Vaccine Development
Machine learning enables advancements that humans would not be able to achieve otherwise. However, these developments’ precision, efficiency, and speed cannot be achieved with human work alone.
Virtual Care and Remote Medicine
If it is possible to receive the same level of care without leaving your home, as you would a visit to the doctor’s surgery or outpatient clinic, then let’s make it so, especially for minor and routine appointments.
The number of virtual visits has skyrocketed during the pandemic and is predicted by Forrester analysts to hit one billion by the end of 2020. It’s also thought that during 2021 one third of virtual care appointments will be related to mental health issues.
As well as reducing the risk of spreading contagion, remote medicine allows medical professionals to squeeze more patient consultations into their busy schedules. This is vital for populations where doctors are in short supply.
Another facet of the growing virtual healthcare tech trends will be the ongoing development of robotic and autonomous healthcare assistants working in hospitals or right in people’s homes. These will reduce the likelihood of infection (a big problem in hospitals even before Covid).
Collection of Data and AI Helps Shift to Fairer Insurance Coverage
The growth in the amount of data we have collected on our health, from our interaction with health services, our own devices, and activities, means that healthcare insurance providers have an improved picture of where intervention may be needed.
The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that there is a willingness to share our personal data when the benefits to our health are clearly communicated. This has been proven by track-and-trace systems that have reliably kept infection levels in check in some regions!
Robotics to Automate Hospital Workflows
In 2021, startups worldwide will invest more than $400 million in developing AI projects, including different kinds of robotic systems, potentially allowing them to cut the cost of hiring qualified hospital staff.
The idea is not to replace humans with machines, causing unemployment and a decrease in social standards, but to help medical facilities that already experience an acute deficit in nurses and clinicians due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has put the whole healthcare system under unprecedented pressure.
Symptom Checker Chatbots
Chatbots are AI-backed computer applications (sometimes not full-blooded AI but sophisticated algorithms) conducting human-like meaningful conversations via voice, textual, or option-based input.
They are becoming popular and widespread in every industry, especially healthcare and medical consulting. Chatbots are accessible 24/7 online or via mobile devices and can give medical diagnostics and health advisory based on a patient’s inputs and complaints. Chatbots can also be integrated with custom patient portals for hospitals and clinics.
They can help patients address their health conditions and concerns, even for acute conditions, when human medical assistants are out of reach for some reason.
Such chatbots can help patients to identify their next steps and encourage them to seek qualified medical assistance when necessary. However, care must be taken as they can lead to misinformation and incorrect self-diagnosis. Robots aren’t doctors yet!
Functional Wellness
The functional wellness trend has been gaining momentum over recent years as more, and more, people take a proactive approach to managing their own health. One of the biggest growth sectors has recently been CBD. As consumer demand continues to grow, technology is also helping to connect people with CBD products that are most appropriate for them. CBD has been used for a plethora of reasons, such as pain and anxiety, and its purported benefits are driving many people to consider it within their health regimen.
There are three main types of cannabidiol (CBD). CBD isolate is the pure form of CBD, while full-spectrum CBD is an extract containing other compounds of the cannabis plant, such as terpenes and other cannabinoids. The third type is broad-spectrum CBD.
CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD. Therefore, it may be a suitable product for first-time CBD users who wish to experiment with the potential health benefits without interfering with other cannabis compounds, which may alter the effects. CBD isolate is also refined, so it has no discernible taste or odor.
If you do not wish to take high doses of CBD, then CBD isolate may be ideal for you. You can consume it, apply it to your skin, and place it under your tongue. The possibilities are endless!