For the past two years, our health and healthcare industry have been at the forefront of our collective sustainability, like never before in recent memory. And as we move into 2022, technologies like AI, wearables, and new telehealth systems will play a key role in helping us get and stay healthy.
Dr. Michael Aragon, chief medical officer of medical device maker Outset Medical, shared his top five 2022 trends for health care with TechRepublic, and technology was front and center.
Image: Outset Medical
1. Making health care remote
Wearables like the Apple Watch and Fitbit brought personal health tracking to the masses, and over the past few years, the market has expanded dramatically to include a variety of home health trackers that track your blood pressure, heart rate, SpO2, ECG, etc. , will monitor. PPG, sleep quality and even neurological disorders.
“This trend will continue to grow as individuals want the ability to monitor their health without
They need to see their doctor,” Dr. Aragon said. They expect the market to be flooded with new products in 2022.
Dr. Aragon is not alone in predicting dramatic growth in the wearables market. According to Deloitte Global, 320 million consumer health and wellness wearable devices will be shipped worldwide in 2022, and by 2024, that figure could reach 440 million units as more health care providers recommend them to patients.
SEE: Top 5 tech trends for 2022 (TechRepublic)
2. Bringing healthcare to home
According to a September 2021 report by Grand View Research, the global home healthcare market reached $299 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.88% from 2021 to 2028. This was a change from 2019 to 2020, when the domestic healthcare market declined by 1.64%.
“The pandemic has increased the demand for home health care equipment for patients, especially those who are most at risk if exposed to COVID-19,” Dr. Aragon said. He doesn’t see this trend going away, as “patients have refused to give up the benefits of home health care during the pandemic.”
Outset’s Tablo Hemodialysis System is an example of a home health care device as it gives patients the option to perform dialysis in the comfort of their own home.
3. Trustworthy AI
According to Arizonan research, the global healthcare AI market is projected to reach $44.5 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 46.21%. This increased use of artificial intelligence will be driven by pharmaceutical companies using the technology to boost innovations, increasing patient volumes, and shrinking workforces in health care facilities.
“The addition of AI reduces human error, whether with radiology tools and immunotherapy for cancer patients, determining the best treatment for a dialysis patient, or identifying which of the latest infectious diseases is spreading around the world,” said Dr. Aragon. Where is it spreading?
4. Adopting Advanced Telehealth
According to McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy, the use of telehealth services skyrocketed during the pandemic, reaching a level 78 times higher than before COVID-19 in April 202o. That level has since fallen, but telehealth use is still 38 times higher than before the pandemic. Dr. Aragon sees this trend continuing.
“Innovation has skyrocketed as interest in telehealth has skyrocketed, and it will continue to grow as new virtual healthcare models and business models are developed and new services and health solutions are made available,” said Dr. Aragon. “Visiting the doctor will soon become a virtual experience for many patients.”
5. Promoting diversity in health care
Citing statistics that show minorities and people of color are not given equal access to quality care, Dr. Aragon said that “this is the year the healthcare industry takes a hard look at these disparities and Will seek ways to build that lead to cultural competency among healthcare providers so that they can better meet the unique social and cultural needs of their patients.
