Vendors are constantly adapting health information technology to meet healthcare providers’ needs. Medical software tools and healthcare technology trends have evolved from a stronger focus on patient satisfaction to integration of chatbots, AI and heightened patient data security at every stage of patient healthcare journeys.

In this article, we’ll highlight critical current and future healthcare technology trends to help your facility stay ahead of the curve.

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What This Article Covers

• Key Takeaways
• Top Trends
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cloud Computing
  • Mental Health Technology
  • Virtual Reality
  • Telemedicine
  • Wearable Devices
  • Data Explosion & Blockchain
  • Nanomedicine
  • 3D Bioprinting
  • Big Data
• Conclusion

Key Takeaways

• The global cloud computing market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 20% from 2023 to 2030.
• Generative AI is elevating automation, creating authentic textual and visual content without manual programming.
• A virtual healthcare approach is helping improve outcomes while reducing costs.

Top Trends for 2024

The healthcare industry is in a constant state of change. New technologies and innovations continue to optimize and automate tiring processes to streamline care delivery.

As the industry continues to grow, newer trends emerge. Capitalizing on the trends before competitors can provide an advantage and lead to long-term success.

With technologies such as AI, IoT and nanomedicine evolving, healthcare organizations are actively procuring newer solutions to gain an advantage over their competitors. New software not only automates tasks but also plays a key role in customer satisfaction.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the upcoming trends on the horizon:

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1. Artificial Intelligence

The healthcare industry is witnessing a transformative wave with AI integration. AI algorithms help medical professionals analyze patient data and medical literature to gain crucial insights for informed decision-making.

Generative AI, a facet of artificial intelligence, creates authentic content — text, images and more — sans direct programming. Its capacity to learn from existing data patterns to generate unique and innovative outputs positions it as the imminent trend set to propel automation to new heights in the coming years.

According to a Bain & Company survey, generative AI can reduce admin burdens and maximize office efficiency in the future.

Additionally, natural language processing (NLP) integration into medical apps can help electronic platforms comprehend and understand human language, providing a similar charting process for healthcare providers familiar with diction note taking.

2. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing eliminates the need for extensive on-site infrastructure, reducing capital expenses for healthcare organizations. The adoption of a pay-as-you-go model offers flexibility, enabling medical facilities to cut costs by paying only for the specific functionalities and services they use.

The global cloud computing market is expected to reach $2.4 trillion growing at a CAGR of 20% from 2023 to 2030.

These cloud platforms also facilitate AI, machine learning and data analytics integration into medical applications, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, treatment planning and overall patient care delivery.

The surge in encrypted cloud computing is another noteworthy trend, known for its strong disaster recovery mechanisms, combating phishing attacks and ensuring patient information safety. Its dual functionality adds a layer of security and contributes to seamless facility operation amid potential threats.

3. Mental Health Technology

Today, mental health support is accessible on any electronic device, marking a significant shift from previous decades. Balancing care quality amidst the intersection of clinical science and tech entrepreneurship remains a challenge, but recent innovations and the emergence of AI and robotics offer promising solutions.

Patients can find mental health services available online through solutions like HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing tools.

Here are some current innovations in mental health technology:

1. Video Game Treatment: Since the pandemic, the U.S. has focused extensively on mental health solutions. Their effort bore fruit when EndeavorRX was released for kids ages 8–12 years old with ADHD. The game helps them focus on multiple things at once to boost their mental abilities.
2. Smartphone Therapy: Today, smartphones come with integrated AI assistants and features. The same algorithm creates chatbots that can record and analyze speeches to detect abnormalities or mental illness. Further, the bots can connect with healthcare professionals who can provide 24/7 therapy to patients.
3. Electronic Symptom Monitoring: Digital systems track symptoms by enabling patients to share daily health data. AI algorithms then analyze this information to identify patterns and promptly notify healthcare providers in case of issues or emergencies.

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4. Virtual Reality

One of the trends that’s made considerable headway in the pharmaceutical industry is the application of VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and MR (mixed reality). They’re improving patient recovery time and hospital management.

The computer-generated environment helps medical professionals simulate a situation or experience of interest using a VR headset.

The global virtual reality in healthcare market is projected to reach $25.22 billion by 2030 growing at a CAGR of 34.9%, showing huge continued growth in the years to come. So why such growth?

The technology automates a facility’s day-to-day activities, including staff recruitment and 3D simulation and increases productivity and efficiency.

Further, it helps facilities provide medical training to new hires. VR allows them to simulate the human body’s interior and perform surgeries to train for real-life situations.

5. Telemedicine

Virtual healthcare offerings, telemedicine software and remote patient monitoring offer a number of benefits to both patients and physicians.

The global telemedicine market is projected to grow from $94.44 billion in 2023 to $286.22 billion by 2030. Such growth can be attributed to various impacts on the structure of modern healthcare.

Virtual care has become increasingly popular to provide the least expensive care in the most effective possible setting. Another reason is reimbursement initiatives and the regulation of such tools.

As with everything else in our lives, mobility is increasingly shaping how we expect goods and services, including healthcare. Patients want the same access to healthcare that they have for everything else in their daily lives.

While some providers may not have embraced this more recent trend, that won’t stop connected devices and on-demand care from becoming increasingly mainstream.

Virtual ultrasound collaboration is an example of extended reach of specialized care. It enables doctors to remotely communicate with their team and patients, irrespective of their location within a hospital, clinic or remote satellite office.

Virtual collaboration elevates providers’ availability, improving care delivery consistency across facilities.

6. Wearable Devices

The line is blurring between consumer health wearables and medical devices. Related to mobile devices is the exploding demand for wearable devices like Fitbits

Wearable devices play a pivotal role in the medical industry helping providers continuously monitor vital signs and health metrics.

The wearable medical tech market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.6% reaching $428.92 billion by 2030, signifying their continued popularity.

These devices provide doctors with real-time data to track patient health remotely and intervene promptly. Additionally, wearables promote proactive health management, encouraging individuals to monitor their well-being and adopt healthier lifestyles.

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7. Data Explosion & Blockchain

Let’s start at the source: data. Its value has never been higher, even as it continues to grow exponentially. Ironically, the healthcare profession was slow to embrace data digitization.

Now, its data volume is growing faster than manufacturing, financial services and media industries. According to a Market Research Future report, the healthcare data storage market is expected grow at a CAGR of 15.3%, reaching $69.31 billion by 2032.

With this rapid growth in data, systems have to be able to store it all securely. Blockchain technology, being one of the biggest healthcare IT trends, allows for more digital information storage while taking up far less space in the process.

With the fight against ransomware becoming a top priority, healthcare professionals require a solid infrastructure to mitigate risks better. Since blockchain security is one potential method to improve cybersecurity and data safety issues, this storage type can be an ideal approach to preserve information authenticity.

Various organizations, today, also use intrusion detection systems (IDS) as their new preferred security methods to safeguard healthcare data from potential attacks.

8. Nanomedicine

Remember Iron Man’s nanosuit technology? Well, it’s no longer a myth, as nanotech application in medicine is happening as you read this. Scientists are creating nanobots called Xenobots that can self-replicate. This can revolutionize nanomedicine.

Nanomedicine employs technologies at the nanoscale and uses nano-enabled techniques for disease prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. Nanotechnology applications include medical imaging, diagnostic kits, biological sensors, gene activation, medical device surface sterilization and more.

Another possible future application can be in the field of molecular nanotechnologies, such as biological machines.

9. 3D Bioprinting

In healthcare, 3D bioprinting isn’t a new technology. However, its capability to create natural tissue-like, three-dimensional structures is certainly attracting attention from scientists and researchers.

With the new and sophisticated version of prosthetics treatment and many improved technologies, it’s only a matter of time before the discipline gains traction. It reduces the hefty costs of implants and prosthetic treatment.

Further, patients are getting more and more options for cardiovascular and neurological implants. 3D bioprinting can also enhance bionic prosthesis for knees and hips.

It currently develops human organ and tissue structure for research purposes. These structures can be integrated with biocompatible microfluidics to construct intricate models that replicate natural human organ functions.

10. Big Data

Big data is vital in healthcare tech today, particularly in the electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) industry. Its integration with medical apps provides extensive datasets for enhanced analytics, data-driven decision-making and personalized patient care delivery.

The advent of 5G, with its high data outputs, including increased data speeds and device interactions boosts automation tools, enhancing office efficiency and employee productivity. Looking ahead, the emergence of 6G in the coming years holds promises of further advancements.

Big data analytics also emerges as a significant leap, enhancing telehealth, cutting diagnostic costs and improving treatment analysis. Its data mining and analysis tools contribute significantly to rare disease treatment, fostering advancements in patienst care.

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Conclusion

Healthcare technology trends are constantly changing to meet the needs of healthcare organizations and providers.They’re helping organizations become more agile with their operations and increase their revenue and care quality.

While these trends may pose certain concerns to security and patient privacy, they’ve also helped lead to greater opportunities to treat healthcare security more holistically while increasing the level of security at the same time.

The end result will be better ways to manage data in our efforts to improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

It’s important not to ignore these trends and be prepared to take advantage of them as best you can. Facilities that ignore these healthcare IT trends will fall behind in the long run.

Which trend is your favorite and why? Notice any other technological trends in healthcare that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments!