Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Eight Pillars of Change

Digital Transformation is undisputedly affecting numerous industries as they harness disruptive technologies to overhaul legacy processes. Matt Hatton, founding partner of Transforma Insights, explores the state of digital transformation in the healthcare sector. A recent report by Transforma Insights, Digital Transformation in the Healthcare SectorOpens a new window , identifies eight major domains of change for the healthcare sector. The pace of technological change in healthcare is rapid. According to Transforma Insights TAM Forecasts, between 2022 and 2032, the usage of AI-based connected devices will increase by almost twenty timesOpens a new window and that of IoT-based connected devices by around four times. Collectively, this illustrates that the healthcare sector is undergoing a fundamental change. 

Crucial Domains for Digital Transformation in the Healthcare Sector

The key domains within the healthcare sector, that are being most transformed are:

1. Connected Medicine Dispensers
2. Remote Patient Monitoring
3. Clinical Environment Patient Monitoring
4. Patient Data Management
5. AI-based Diagnostic Solutions
6. Surgical Robots
7. 3D Printing
8. Asset Monitoring

8 Key Domains Of Change In Healthcare

Source: Transforma Insights Opens a new window

How Is Digital Transformation Changing the Face of the Healthcare Sector? 

Let us now look at each of the eight key domains in a little detail and see what the persistent issues this sector faces and how the adoption of digital technologies is solving them.

1. Connected medicine dispensers

These customized medicine dispensing solutions are particularly helpful for patients who are unable to follow their prescriptions. In the US, almost 50% of chronic patients are non-adherent to prescriptionsOpens a new window , which leads to around 10% of total hospitalization, causes 125,000 deaths and costs the US economy between USD100-USD289 billion every year.

Apart from dispensing medicines automatically, connected medicine dispensers can monitor patients’ location and send audio reminders. Their lock systems are particularly beneficial for patients with memory-loss issues. Apart from relying on AI for facial and voice recognition to identify patients, they have connected sensors to track and monitor medicine usage and send real-time information. For instance, Hero’s automatic pill dispensers can stock multiple medicines for three months, issue reminders and missed dose alerts and track medicine intake records. 

2. Remote patient monitoring

Remote Patient Monitoring collects and shares patients’ vital health information for continuous monitoring outside medical environments, allowing for more patients to be treated at home, saving costs and improving outcomes (for instance, according to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre study, leveraging RPM devices can decrease patient visits to physiciansOpens a new window by 47% and also result in a 40% decline in hospital admissions of elderly patients). It is particularly useful in countries with a shortage of healthcare personnel. In the US, for instance, 60% of citizens suffer from some chronic illness, and the country faces a shortage of 446,300 home health aides by 2025. Besides, ample healthcare infrastructure can prevent around 41 million deaths across the globe.

These connected devices use AI to support enhanced efficiency via real-time monitoring. For instance, Dexcom G6 is a real-time smart blood glucose monitoring device that can continuously track patients’ blood sugar and share the data on smart devices.

Since these IoT-enabled devices can continuously track patients, they are also useful for dementia or Alzheimer’s patients. Some of them also have SOS messaging and geo-fencing capabilities, which send alerts if patients step out of their pre-defined areas. 

3. Clinical environment patient monitoring

A shortage of healthcare personnel is a major problem, forcing hospitals like Martin General Hospital, USA, to shut down. By 2030, 9 million additional nurses and midwives will be required. To deal with this acute issue, clinical environment patient monitoring uses digital technologies to monitor patients’ health status continuously.

Within this domain, Tele-ICU is used to monitor ICU patients online and reduce ICU stays and mortality, and bedside patient monitoring uses digital technologies to prevent in-hospital falls (which affect around 1 million patients every year in the US).

One such device, Philips’ tele-ICU solution, for example, uses predictive analytics and data visualization techniques to enhance critical care support, allow medical practitioners to remotely manage multiple ICU beds. 

4. Patient data management

Patient data management reduces the need to maintain health records manually (physicians waste around 16 minutes per patient on documentation processes), thereby saving time and money without compromising their safety (cyberattacks compromised the healthcare data of 46 million Americans in 2021Opens a new window ).

In such cases, AI-based solutions can reduce time wastage (around 18% of doctors’ time in reviewing medical notes) and enhance operational efficiency. Furthermore, emerging technology such as Distributed Ledger can save data from cyberattacks. 

Case in point, MEDITECH offers MaaS (MEDITECH-as-a-service), a cloud-hosted solution for data storage and sharing, which is used by around 25% of US hospitals and 50% of Canadian hospitals. Moreover, to avert cyberattacks, Canada’s University Health Network collaborated with IBM and eHealth Ontario and adopted a blockchain-based solution to provide a secure platform to patients.

See More: How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impacting Healthcare?

5. AI-based Diagnostic Solutions

Around 4% of radiology imaging tests have machine-generated errors. Besides, radiologists can also commit errors due to fatigue, under-reading and poor communication skills. Hence, AI-based Diagnostic Solutions are used to ensure fast, accurate and consistent image processing. They can also reduce radiologists’ burden and better communicate with doctors. In fact, AI can save one hour of a radiologist’s time daily, and AI-led CT scans are 25% more accurate and have fewer errors.

For instance, Microsoft’s Project InnerEye supports oncologists and technicians with faster detection of cancerous tumors by quickly processing CT scan images. Addenbrooke’s Hospital has used it and saved significant time without compromising the results. Similarly, Middlesex Health deployed SubtlePET’s AI solution and reduced its PET scanning time by four times.

6. Surgical Robots

Minimally invasive surgeries and robotic surgeries using surgical robots are increasingly preferred by patients. Our research finds that patients opting for robotic surgeries witness 77% fewer blood clots and have reduced the duration of hospital stays by 20%. Robotic surgery has also reduced staffing requirements and should lower hospital readmission rates by almost 50% (which cost the US healthcare system around USD50 billion in 2018).

For instance, Intuitive’s Da Vinci robotic surgery system provides 3D anatomies of patients and has been used in over 10 million surgical procedures.

7. 3D Printing

In the healthcare sector, 3D printing implies building three-dimensional objects for dentistry, joint replacement, prosthetics and anatomical models. An increasing diabetic population, accidents, and diseases like PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease) have significantly increased amputation cases across the globe. Currently, around 185,000 amputations are carried out every year in the US alone, which will reach 3.6 million by 2050.

3D printing ensures faster and more cost-efficient personalized healthcare solutions and supports medical practitioners in clinical trials and research activities. It also reduces prosthetic construction time by around 86% and cost by 88%. The Clinical University Hospital, Poland used 3D printing to develop pieces for facial reconstruction surgery and witnessed reduced operating time and safer surgeries. 

8. Hospital asset tracking

Every year, medical equipment worth millions remains unused or are wasted due to negligence and theft. Data reveals that almost 58% of medical equipment remains underutilized, and 25% of wheelchairs are lost every year in the USA. For instance, 14% of hospital equipment was reported missing at Mission Hospital, USA. So, it started using an RFID-based solution on 13,000 medical items and, within a year, saved USD150,000. Hospital asset tracking tracks supplies and medical equipment in a clinical environment. 

Hospital tracking shares location data to enhance efficiency via real-time monitoring, reduces operational costs of hospitals and improves the productive hours of nurses (a survey by NursingTimes.Net found that nurses spend around 40 hours a monthOpens a new window searching for equipment).

See More: How IoT Will Enhance the Patient Experience, Safety, and Healthcare Efficiency in 2023

Optimizing Healthcare with Digital Transformation

In conclusion, digital transformation is indeed revolutionizing the healthcare sector. The adoption of emerging digital technologies has improved patient care, optimized operational efficiency, enhanced medical research and reduced costs. 

Besides, digital health tools such as electronic health records, mobile health applications and tele-medicines have transformed the ways healthcare services are delivered and made them more accessible and convenient for patients. With advancing technology and new innovations, there are substantial opportunities for the healthcare sector must continue to embrace emerging technologies to remain competitive, efficient and effective in delivering high-quality care to patients.

What digital transformation trends do you observe in the healthcare sector? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

Image Source: Shutterstock

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