Healthcare is one of India’s major sectors both from revenue and employment perspective. Our competitive advantage lies in our large pool of well-trained medical professionals and also cost of healthcare (significantly lower as compared to US or Western Europe). This is one of the reasons Medical Tourism in India is growing at a year-on-year rate of 18%. While healthcare has historically been slow to adopt technology, the sector is at the cusp of digital revolution that’ll bring about a huge transformation in the way healthcare processes are managed. Faster response time, better access to patients as well as resources, cost reduction and lesser dependency on human resources and innovation in specialized treatments like surgeries are few of the benefits technology will enable in the Healthcare sector. Listed below are some key changes we are likely to witness very soon:
• Telemedicine: Telemedicine will improve diagnosing and treatment by making it easier for patients to get access to specialists. The availability of electronic records will make it simpler to forward documents to specialists. In rural areas, this can mean the difference between having or not having expert input into a case.
• The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT): Various specialized apps have helped in tracking and preventing chronic illness for patients and doctors. By combining IoT and telemedicine & telehealth technologies, a new Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has evolved. This includes the use of number of wearables like ECG & EKG monitors. Many other common medical measurements can also be taken, such as skin temperature, glucose level, and blood pressure readings.
• Cloud Computing: Patients and healthcare providers both tend to get better access to records through cloud-based solutions, and they make the consultation process more convenient. Sharing of large patient-history files and remote data sharing & access gets simplified through cloud computing.
• AR & VR: Augmented reality systems in healthcare offer one of the most intuitive options. By rendering 3D information on real-world scenes, AR permits surgeons and doctors to stay grounded in actual procedures while having ready access to all the data available through other emerging technologies. Doctors can compare data to what they’re seeing in the real world in order to make diagnoses and plan for procedures. Healthcare is capable of becoming one of the essential influences on the future of AR.
• Artificial Intelligence: Developing AI machines that can process information and provide decision-making data in a manner similar to what a human does—has given rise to an entirely new sector of innovative health technologies. AI applications can improve the speed and accuracy of the diagnosis process.
• Chatbots: Chatbots are already revolutionizing the business world, and they can be expected to be a big part of the digital transformation in healthcare, too. Imagine a bot-assistant who’d give timely reminders to patients. And by connecting with other technologies such as analytics and AI, the assistant can even warn about potential drug interactions.
While the future definitely looks far more exciting with faster and more efficient solutions in the Healthcare Sector it also implies certain imperatives for those working in the industry. The need to stay updated with changes introduced by technology and the necessary skill-upgrades to handle emerging platforms are an absolute mandate. New environment calls for new skills and newer ways to manage. While Healthcare Sector is all set for a change, healthcare professionals also need to be equipped with necessary know-how to drive the changes and bring in real transformation.
Digital Revolution in Indian Healthcare
