Introduction

The global healthcare industry has evolved significantly due to successive disruptive trends in the past few years. Consider how the introduction of digital transformation and technology into healthcare practices paved the way for streamlined internal patient management systems, robotic surgery, and digital health applications. Then, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic upended traditional patient care models. Most treatments shifted to remote supervision, and medical practitioners had to learn to leverage digital tools and processes to diagnose, treat, and monitor patients. More recently, concerns around pollution and climate change are causing a stir due to their impact on public health and healthcare infrastructure. One report mentions how climate change reduces the nutritional value of food and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

New Healthcare Trends of 2023

Owing to the above shifts, healthcare institutions are adopting new models and processes to improve how they operate, deliver patient care, and extend their reach. While some trends are nascent, others will continue to evolve in 2023 with deeper adoption.

The pandemic gave new impetus to the field of telemedicine, with remote medical consultations rising from 1% to 43.5%. The telemedicine market surpassed US $60 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US $186 billion by 2027. Medical practitioners are becoming savvy with advanced tools to track patient biometric data such as heart rates, oxygen levels, stress, diet, and more. One example is how NHS England introduced ‘virtual wards’ to offer at-home support to patients through technology platforms, medical devices, and wearables. Another trend is the rising demand for specialized and specialty doctors. This puts pressure on healthcare institutions to boost the speed and effectiveness of training new doctors and upskilling existing ones in order to improve diagnostics and treatment.

There is also a push for hospitals and healthcare institutions to offer responsive, personalized, and data-driven patient care. Soon, decision-makers must assess how to revamp existing capacity and streamline claims processes to deliver a seamless, patient-centric experience. Customers, too, want access to their data so they can make informed decisions on their daily habits. Democratization of medical science is essential to empower customers to take charge of their wellbeing and actively improve their wellness through real-world and real-time data.

How Technology is Shaping the Future

Technology plays a pervasive role in helping healthcare institutions embrace these trends for better operational efficiencies, margins, and patient outcomes.

As patient data volumes soar due to granular records and periodic biometric tracking, blockchain can help patients consolidate their data, securely store it on the blockchain network, and safely share their documents only with authorized physicians. Cybersecurity solutions will also come to the fore to safeguard sensitive data, particularly biometric data that, if stolen by scamsters, could be used for fraudulent purposes.

With the explosion of patient data, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), advanced analytics, and big data will become even more significant. They can help accelerate the time to diagnosis, uncover hidden insights, consistently track patient behavior, generate timely recommendations and medication alerts to improve treatment adherence, and more. Finally, health informatics, i.e., systems that capture health-related information, will continue to evolve, supported by advances in AI/ML and cloud to enable faster delivery of equitable and patient-centric care.

Infosys Digital Healthcare Solutions

Infosys helps healthcare organizations leverage the power of technology to deliver connected healthcare solutions that enhance patient experience and ensure better patient outcomes. It provides specific capabilities around real-time patient monitoring, capacity management, disease and wellness management, etc.  Beyond this, Infosys also empowers healthcare to leap into the future through robust digital health platforms that democratize data and analytics, support numerous healthcare-related use cases, and maximize RoI on healthcare transformation.

Conclusion

Healthcare organizations must continue to transform as the world marches ahead to adopt telemedicine, focus on overall wellbeing, and demand patient-centric care and data-driven diagnostics. Technologies such as AI/ML, big data, blockchain, and AR/VR, to name a few, will play a more significant role in helping healthcare organizations keep in step with the disruption brought on by digital transformation, a global pandemic, and climate change. It is imperative for healthcare decision-makers to get the right technology mix for sustained growth and better patient outcomes in 2023.