1. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
According to Precedence Research, the global internet of things (IoT) in healthcare market size was valued at $180.5 billion in 2021 and it is expected to reach around $960.2 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.41% during the forecast period 2022 to 2030.
Wearable devices and trackers are important healthcare IT trends. Their key benefit is providing real-time and detailed data on the patients’ health states, which is precious for doctors’ observation.
IoMT enables a significant shift in patient awareness. With trackers, people get access to real-time data on their daily behavior and can provide changes on the way. If the device includes certain gamification features, it can reward patients and increase their motivation to lead a healthier lifestyle. Because of this, the impact of technology is tremendous, enriching a rational need for sticking to healthy habits with pure fun.
In their turn, doctors can receive notifications and participate in patients’ treatment more actively than ever. The rich data set from this new technology in healthcare include sleep patterns, nutrition habits, average activity level, and other parameters. With this information, healthcare practitioners can build more realistic coaching programs and track the treatment progress more accurately.
Chronic Conditions and Wearables
IoMT innovations reveal their best in the case of disorders that require significant lifestyle alterations. For example, they are smoking addiction, overanxious disorder, obesity, or type 2 diabetes.
According to the latest data, about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes. Unfortunately, type 2 diabetes treatment was on the patient’s conscience for a long time, and doctors had no tools to trust their words and promises. Since success heavily depends on lifestyle changes, healthcare providers had no instruments to control the progress.
The inclusion of wearables has fixed this problem, inviting doctors to cooperate with their patients in building healthier lifestyles. It contributes to establishing Patient First Approach, or the framework for educating patients about their treatment stages and milestones. The global personalized medicine market was valued at $514.33 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.95% from 2023 to 2030.
With type 2 diabetes, these indicators include the maximum amount of sugar allowed and the minimum daily activity level. Moreover, the device can store regular human insulin (RHI) needed. As a result, the treatment has become more successful and easy to follow.
These conditions lend themselves well to the value of wearable devices and PGHD because individuals need more constant guidance and self-reflection to succeed than can be provided with sporadic office visits.
2. Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
Data security is still a key industrial concern, and cybersecurity will appear relevant among IT trends in the healthcare industry for a long time. All future technological enhancements will stick to the requirement to possess a significant security layer. The ultimate goal is to protect sensitive patient data delivered online.
At the end of 2021, the number of weekly attacks on healthcare reached an average of 626 per organization and is constantly growing. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that over 40 million patients’ healthcare records were compromised in 2021, as half of the internet-connected hospital devices are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The current examples of cybersecurity measures include the interconnectivity of IoMT devices, threat detection in the network, and the application of robust AI models to overcome the need to share patient information while analyzing it. By the way, you can use these highly effective recommendations to deal with cyber attacks.
Still, cybersecurity is a hot topic, considering the growing number and risks of data breaches. For example, cybersecurity for hospitals is the lead story today. The increasing extent of information sharing and interoperability will only deepen the problem. In the given circumstances, the healthcare market will actively search for truly secure and reliable software that sticks to patient safety standards in the coming years.
HIPAA-Compliant Video Conferencing Platforms
Since the pandemic, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has become a required video conferencing standard. This federal law prescribes companies “to protect the privacy and security of individuals’ medical records and other protected health information (PHI).”
Most telehealth video conferencing platforms follow this rule. The use cases include Zoom for Healthcare, Skype for Business, VSee, Citrix GoToMeeting, and many other analogs of calling software. As the next step in the industry, upcoming communication platforms will provide safety beyond end-to-end encryption that stores patient data in cloud storage and still puts it at risk. Such brand-new alternatives already include Signal, DuckDuckGo, and Tauria.
Also, you can check our custom HIPAA-compliant video conferencing software designed for healthcare needs, which has enhanced cybersecurity measures.