With innovation being on the brink in the healthcare industry over the last couple of years, IT vendors and their channel partners are offering turnkey healthcare solutions to remain successful in their business.
The healthcare market, particularly hospitals, physicians and dental practices, represents an explosive sales and service opportunity for channel partners who are using digital technology to improve patient care, reduce costs and optimize the business.
As technology plays an important role in modern medicine over many domains, channel partners can provide the platform for improvements and breakthroughs in a number of areas:
Robots and AI
Perhaps one of the most overtly futuristic advances in technology will be robotic assistants, which can offer support with a variety of procedure and day-to-day activities, particularly in places such as elder care homes. From lifting heavy objects to moving residents, these machines can provide many services and are likely to grow more common as they provide a reliable, cost effective alternative to using extensively trained professionals.
Another less well known modern technology is Artificial Intelligence, which can keep up-to-date with thousands of journals and advances in treatment, and provide recommendations to doctors based on all the information available. Several AIs are in various stages of development and they have the potential to streamline many areas, from drug development to patient data mining.
Information Sharing and Health Informatics
Cloud sharing and other such technologies allow healthcare providers to share information, which saves money and may lead to better, faster treatment for patients. An online MSHI program covers healthcare information, its acquisition, storage, accessibility, and more.
Employing people with this sort of knowledge allows hospitals and other providers to gain and use the information they require to treat patients as quickly and easily as possible.
Communication advances will also have advantages for anyone studying in a medical field, as textbooks, which are expensive and quickly grow outdated, are already rapidly being replaced by online, real-time information and journals.
Wearable Technology
An important part of effective healthcare is helping individuals to be responsible for their own health. Wearable fitness and lifestyle monitoring devices or apps encourage people to look after their health.
In cases where diet and exercise play a substantial role in physical condition, such as overweight or diabetic patients, allowing doctors access to information gathered through the use of wearable technology can both empower patients to improve their lifestyle, and allows healthcare professionals to provide targeted help where needed.
Wearable technology is also used in hospitals. This information can be collated and stored, as well as being passed on to nurses and doctors as needed. The next step may be implanting technology to provide data on organ function or patients habits, to aid in treatment or diagnosis.
Every year more lives are saved and more treatments are developed or improved through the advances made in healthcare technology.