Digital technology has provided many advances to medicine over the past few decades, and is continuing to do so today.
Healthcare has always been a field that strives to take advantage of new technology. When human lives are at stake, using a new tool or idea properly can make a big difference.
Digital technology has provided many advances to medicine over the past few decades, and is continuing to do so today. Three of the most important trends in healthcare app development in 2024 are:
We’ll take a look at some examples of each, and discover how these trends are working together.
AI: Identifying Problems and Talking to Patients
AI is probably the single biggest trend in the tech world at large right now. It has impacted a wide variety of industries, and healthcare is no exception.
Because AI can be trained to perform just about any task that we have data for, companies are experimenting with many different use cases for the technology.
For example, the Apple Watch uses an AI-driven algorithm to detect falls, heartbeat irregularities, and other potential health risks. Because the system handles such a huge volume of information, it can quickly identify signs that something is wrong.
Some companies are experimenting with using AI chatbots for customer service operations. Already, other industries use chatbots for customer service interactions, but healthcare comes with its own unique challenges. Privacy laws, and the sensitivity of personal health information, mean that no company can risk having a confused chatbot leak somebody’s health data.
Northwell Health recently released an AI chatbot designed specifically for pregnant women looking for help or information. They report that over 1600 patients have used the chatbot, with a 96% satisfaction rate. Most importantly, the chatbot helped a handful of women identify warning signs of serious problems, and directed them to human healthcare professionals.
AI chatbots are also widely used in mental health applications. Because on one level, therapy is a mostly verbal profession, chatbots can perform some of therapist’s functions. This is, interestingly, the task assigned to the very first chatbot ELIZA back in the 1960’s. While that was little more than a toy, modern therapy bots like Elomia and Wysa are capable of processing and understanding much more subtle information.
Connected Devices: The Internet of Medical Things
Smart devices, often called the “Internet of Things”, include everything from doorbells to singing toasters. But their most valuable use cases may be medical devices, which are adept at carrying out many routine medical tasks and monitoring patient health.
Above, we mentioned how the Apple Watch uses data to identify health risks. That effectively makes it a smart medical device, although of course it does much more. This pairing of smart devices with AI is particularly powerful, because smart devices often produce data continuously, giving AI a lot of information to work with.
For example, there are now smart inhalers on the market, such as the Digihaler. This device connects to an app on your phone, and records information like the strength of the user’s breath. This data can be monitored for signs of changes.
Other devices help manage sleep health. ResMed’s myAir app connects with their CPAP device to monitor patient sleep activity, so they can track when their sleep therapy is improving.
There are also many apps that help diabetes patients monitor blood sugar levels. For example, the Dexcom system provides real-time updates on user blood sugar levels without using a finger stick.
Telemedicine: Remote Doctors
Talking to physicians remotely has been around in one form or another for decades. But only since the pandemic, and the rise of remote work and video calls, has it become an extremely widespread and common practice.
There are obvious limitations when it comes to remote medicine. A screen will never fully replace the live presence of a doctor. Many routine examinations can’t really be done through a webcam. To remedy this, however, physicians can have their patients use smart devices to collect information that they would not otherwise have access to.
Teladoc is currently the largest telemedicine firm in the United States. One out of every four Americans has access to their physicians through insurance. Teladoc provides coverage for a wide variety of specialties, including diabetes, mental health, and nutrition.
One trend within the telemedicine trend is the rise of niche or specialty telemedicine firms. Maven caters specifically to women’s health, while Hims caters specifically to men’s health.
Mental health treatment is particularly appropriate for telemedicine, since CBT, Gestalt Therapy, and other treatments primarily rely on verbal actions. Companies like BetterHelp connect patients with therapists to work on their problems over text, voice, and video calls.
In any case, telemedicine provides valuable coverage for situations where accessing healthcare might be difficult. The companies mentioned above all offer some form of care on-demand, 24 hours a day, which means that many patients can have their questions answered without having to wait or travel to see a doctor.
Medicine will become easier to carry out virtually, facilitated by smart devices and video calls, and streamlined with AI.
Synergy: How Modern Healthcare Tech Works Together
One theme running through each of the trends described above is the way that different technologies work together:
As time goes on, this synergy is likely to increase. Medicine will become easier to carry out virtually, facilitated by smart devices and video calls, and streamlined with AI.
At the same time, many routine medical tasks still need to be done in person. People will always need to spend time in the hospital, and a computer can never replace the live presence of a real doctor. But it will become easier and faster to do many things remotely, as has been the case for many other industries.
Do you need a healthcare related mobile or web app? ActiveColor is a leader in digital app development that specializes in digital health. Talk to us today!
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