Technology has been progressing at a rapid rate, and has benefited almost all aspects of life. This includes the health industry, where technological advances have contributed greatly to the improvement in patient care and treatment standards. But with all the new technologies popping up for the medical sector, most of these don’t necessarily address the areas that call for the largest need. To resolve this, there should be more collaboration between the health care sector and the health tech entrepreneurs.
Here are 5 areas in health care that tech startups should be focusing on:
1. Inpatient Price Transparency Tools
Hospitalization can be costly, and often, patients don’t even get any idea at all of just how costly it can be until after they’ve been presented with the total bill. Price transparency should be better implemented, and what better way than to utilize technology to help make it a reality.
2. Patient Handling Safety
Nurses and nursing aides alike often have to lift, move, and position patients in and out of the hospital setting – tasks that could have lasting effects on the staff’s health. Robotic technologies that could do these kinds of tasks could be more beneficial to both staff and patients alike.
3. Automated Documentation in EHR
Physicians and nurses are no strangers to documentation. It’s a necessary part of the daily routine. The problem is that this task can take a lot of time, with nurses, in particular, having to transcribe information from patient devices and pumps to the electronic health records (EHR). Technology that could allow for automated documentation between the EHR and connected devices could definitely improve staff efficiency.
4. Patient Navigation Technology
Hospitals and clinics still rely on a lot of people to act as guides to patients and their families, such as in pointing out which area to go to for a certain type of treatment. Technology that could guide patients through hospital mazes and health care processes would not only save resources and time, it may also be utilized in ways such as updating families on when a patient’s surgery has been completed.
5. Hospital AI
Hospitals could greatly benefit from having artificial intelligence or AI within their walls. Along with machine learning advances, AI has paved the way for the enhancement of patient care through predictive modelling where patient-specific care plans are recommended based on the vital signs collected and recorded with the improved use of patient monitoring devices and monitoring systems. The technology could be made even better if AI that could change the environment in order to adapt to patients’ needs could be introduced in the hospital setting.
The relationship between the healthcare sector and technology has been improving year after year, with a lot of new machines and devices contributing to the overall comfort and welfare of patients. Technology, when used correctly, can definitely help save a lot of lives.
