In the ever-evolving landscape in which each of us is deeply involved, digital innovation quickly became the cornerstone of progress across every social and economical sphere worldwide. By analyzing some of the main paradigms such as commerce, communication, education, and entertainment, it’s safe to assume that the influence of technology during the years became highly pervasive, by fundamentally reshaping the way individuals perceive and interact with the world around them. One of the most profound impacts of the digital revolution triggered by the advent and the development of technology has been the widespread of information and the accessibility to any kind of material, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural barriers.
The proliferation of digital devices increased during the latest years, has given access to the masses to several services and has empowered individuals with unprecedented potential knowledge and connections. In such an expanding landscape, the flow of information and opportunities affected every socioeconomical realm, including the healthcare paradigm which, in fact, stands at the forefront of innovation and transformation. The convergence of the healthcare paradigm with digital technology paved the way for a new era of possibilities, characterized by groundbreaking advancements and transformative processes. Nowadays, the world of healthcare expands itself well beyond the borders of hospitals, by generating a real ecosystem in which the patients can acquire several benefits coming directly from the services of caregivers, researchers, and policy makers.
It’s important to underline that the trends of digital innovation in healthcare represent a profound paradigm shift compared to the traditional ways of perceiving this paradigm, moving towards a personalized, proactive, and patient-centered kind of care. There are many tools and instruments that are providing innovation in the healthcare field, empowering the actors involved in the various medical processes in delivering personalized and tailored care and interventions to the patient. In the next paragraphs we are going to explore the main trends in the medical field related to the most important technological breakthroughs and the new horizons of modern medicine.
Table of Contents
Healthcare and technology: the main innovations in the medical field
The term “Digital Health” is an umbrella term that encompasses both the technologies used to treat patients and those used to collect and share information about patients’ health. These technologies include mobile applications, wearable devices (known as “wearables”), telemedicine, big data, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
- The impact of digital transformation in healthcare is immediate:
- Clinical records and prescriptions have been digitized and have become electronic.
- Therapy can take place through virtual channels such as smartphones, saving valuable time.
- Voice interfaces handle less urgent and complex requests in real-time, alleviating the workload of medical staff.
These are just some of the practical consequences of a radical rethinking of the care model. Digital transformation enables the creation of a “Connected Care” system, where healthcare services are increasingly interconnected thanks to recent advances in mobility and connectivity. This system reduces communication distances between patients, doctors, and healthcare providers.
In this context, many medical devices can connect and communicate with each other, and those approved by national institutions are constantly updated to integrate digital functionalities.
As we previously mentioned, there have been and still are several advancements in the medical technology that revolutionized the perception of healthcare, by enhancing diagnosis and providing a higher-quality patient care compared to the past. One of the field innovation trends that stands out is the widespread of advanced machinery, provided with robotics and machine learning systems that enhance the performance of pharmaceutical industries. Among the most important realities involved in this specter of innovation we can mention the Italian company LASTTechnology.
Furthermore, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and algorithms is maximizing the analytical performance of diagnosis’ systems, assisting doctors with the enhancement of their accuracy and with the efficiency of medical decision-making. Among the other technologies that are deeply influencing the medical field we can also find Virtual Reality and 3D Printing, with the latter that can provide customized medical implants and deeply precise prosthetics and anatomical models.
What are the advantages of innovation in the medical field for patients?
The digital transformation in healthcare involves various stakeholders in digital health activities: patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, traditional medical device companies, and, last but not least, software companies and mobile application developers. Through data access, digital tools provide all industry players with a more holistic view of patient health and simultaneously allow patients themselves to exert greater control over their health.
On one hand, the new technologies:
- Enable consumers to make more informed decisions.
- Provide new options to facilitate prevention, early diagnosis of potentially fatal diseases, and management of chronic conditions outside traditional healthcare facilities.
- Enable better monitoring of activities related to well-being and quality of life.
On the other hand, providers and other stakeholders can use digital healthcare technologies to:
- Reduce inefficiencies.
- Cut costs.
- Improve access to healthcare information.
- Enhance the quality and personalization of care services.
The advent of digital technology and innovation in the medical field provided several benefits for patients, transforming the whole healthcare experience and improving the overall outputs. Among the most important advantages of innovative healthcare, we can mention the improved access to care thanks to telemedicine and remote monitoring technologies which enable the patients to access to several services from their homes and to book their appointments from their digital devices.
Furthermore, there is a deep enhancement of the diagnosis and treatment performances due to the introduction and the development of advanced diagnostic tools, such as medical imaging technologies, genetic testing, and machine learning instruments that provide patients with personalized and tailored treatment plans according to their specific needs. Also, robotics paved the way for the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques, reducing the trauma, the recovery time from the surgery and also the risk percentage related to the surgery. Thanks to an improved way of communicating and a new way of perceiving healthcare, nowadays the patients can be much more aware and rely on an early detection of potential health risks by identifying and promptly act to solve their pathologies.
