COVID-19’s impact on the healthcare sector has been strong. As the new decade has taken unexpected turn hospitals are preparing for the unknown. The pandemic has forced hospitals to plunge headfirst into providing digital capabilities.
Even today, as you spare a few minutes for this blog, there are thousands of frontline healthcare workers fighting a tough, long-drawn battle. Several healthcare organizations are still struggling to reconfigure their operational structure to offer better care to patients during the pandemic. And the big question now – Is digital transformation the only rescue option for healthcare?
Digital Transformation – The Next Big Thing in Healthcare
We think it’s important to compare the healthcare industry’s view of technology solutions before and after the pandemic. Even when the digital transformation was shaping well before the pandemic in several industries like manufacturing, financial services, and education; healthcare was slow to adopt the technology.
Key challenges faced by the healthcare industry
Even when business leaders across industries considered digital transformation as the golden wand to reform their business model, the healthcare organizations were concerned about the challenges with healthcare digitalization. Some of the key challenges being:
- Security issues
- Data protection
- Technical complexities
- Cost factors
- Data silos
- Maintenance
It’s a sense of fear that refrained healthcare businesses to take the big step when it comes to digital transformation. To be honest, decision-makers have a bundle of doubts when it comes to adapting the latest technologies, upgrading their existing healthcare systems, or modernizing their applications. A clear understanding of the digital transformation process and its significant benefits was all that required to envisage the colossal change.
Healthcare organizations are now adopting the latest technology solutions to enhance their operational structure and offer better care to patients. Technologies like Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, VR, AR, and Robotics are now redefining the healthcare industry with their wide array of solutions.
The Future Of Healthcare
Cloud Computing – The Healthcare Industry’s move to the cloud is one of the most anticipated technology transitions. Though the concept of cloud adoption came into existence a long back, the healthcare sector is exploring its benefits only in recent times. Healthcare cloud computing ensures better patient care, efficient data security, structured data storage, improved ROI, and a lot more significant benefits.
mHealth & Telehealth Apps – The pandemic’s impact has forced healthcare organizations and the public health systems to look for alternative solutions like mHealth & Telehealth services to make sure their healthcare systems are remotely accessible to patients even at the time of the pandemic. These applications facilitate faster access to healthcare providers, improve remote patient monitoring, and offer advanced care and counseling to patients from the comfort of their homes.
IoMT – The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is revolutionizing the healthcare industry today. IoT technology has become a pivotal part of the healthcare ecosystem by forming a connected infrastructure of software applications, medical devices, and health systems. This connected network helps to generate, analyze, and transmit all kinds of patient health data to the healthcare providers via the cloud infrastructure. IoMT helps in enhancing remote patient monitoring techniques.
AR & VR – Both augmented reality & virtual reality are considered to be the future of healthcare. The solutions that AR & VR offer greatly aid in meeting the challenges posed by the current healthcare climate. These technologies enable remote patient consultation, simulation of surgery procedures, surgical visualizations, body mapping, advanced diagnostics, and a lot more.
Artificial Intelligence – The massive growth of data and evolving technology requirements have turned the spotlight on artificial intelligence. AI-driven tools and solutions have changed the face of diagnostics, patient engagement, and healthcare analytics. Some of the AI-based technologies that could bring about a massive change in the healthcare industry are machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and robotic process automation (RPA).
In addition to the above, many more digital healthcare technologies can significantly redefine healthcare’s operational model. Some of those technologies that can enhance patient care are blockchain technology, predictive analytics, big data, chatbots, and telesurgery.
The Significant Benefits of Digital Transformation
The impact of the latest technologies in the healthcare space is humongous.
Digital transformation leads to…
Are you ready for the new normal?
- If you are not, we can help you start your digital transformation journey.
- If you are on the way, we can expedite your journey.
- If you have adopted technology, we can help you optimize.
Be it healthcare cloud computing, IoMT, or modernizing your legacy healthcare systems, our adept team of experts are here to help you with innovative solutions. If you could spare us some time, we’ll get you connected to our tech experts, who could provide you a better understanding of how digital transformation benefits your business.
