Digital Future of Healthcare

Nilanjan Dey, Nabanita Das, Jyotismita Chaki, Nilanjan Dey, Nabanita Das, Jyotismita Chaki

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000485417
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Ciencia de la computación
• Subtopic: Minería de datos

This book focuses on the applications of different digital platforms in the field of healthcare. It describes different devices used in digital healthcare, their benefits, diagnosis, use in treatment, and use cases related to mobile healthcare. Further, it covers machine and deep learning, blockchain technology, big data analytics as relevant to digital healthcare, telehealth technology, and digital applications in the field of push-and-pull pharma marketing. Overall, it enables readers to understand the basics of decision-making processes using digital techniques for the healthcare field.

Features:

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• Discusses various aspects of digitization of healthcare systems

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• Examines deployment of machine learning including IoT and medical analytics

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• Provides studies on the design, implementation, development, and management of intelligent healthcare systems

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• Includes sensor-based digitization of healthcare data

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• Reviews real-time advancement and challenges of digital communication in the field of healthcare

This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in healthcare, internet of things, machine learning, computer science, robotics, wearables, electrical engineering, and biomedical engineering.

1 Introduction to Digital Future of Healthcare

Jyotismita Chaki

School of Computer Science and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

CONTENTS

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Misconceptions of Digital Healthcare

1.2.1 Misconception 1: People Do Not Want to Adopt Automated Healthcare Services

1.2.2 Misconception 2: Mainly Young Adults Choose Digital Services

1.2.3 Misconception 3: Mobile Health or M-health Is a Game-changer

1.2.4 Misconception 4: Patients Are Searching for New Applications and Features

1.3 The State of Digital Change of Healthcare in 2021

1.3.1 The Growth in On-Demand Healthcare (Why Patients Need Healthcare on Their Schedule)

1.3.2 The Significance of Big Data in the Health Industry

1.3.3 The Wonder and Care of Patients with Artificial Intelligence

1.3.4 Development of Wearable Healthcare Devices

1.3.5 Blockchain and the Future of Improved Electronic Medical Records

1.4 Advantages of Digital Healthcare

1.5 Challenges in Digital Healthcare

1.6 Summary

References

DOI: 10.1201/9781003198796-1

1.1 Introduction

Digitalization in healthcare has adopted the same trend as other sectors. In the 1950s, as organizations began using modern digital technologies to simplify extremely structured and routine processes such as billing and accounting, healthcare payers began to use information technology to process massive volumes of statistical evidence [1,2,3]. Two decades later, the second phase of digitization is here. It has done two things: it has helped merge various aspects of the central processes within individual organizations, and it has assisted B2B processes like supply chain management for different agencies within and beyond individual sectors. As far as its influence on the healthcare industry is concerned, this second phase of digital implementation has helped develop, for example, an electronic health card.

Members in the healthcare sector were moderately benefitted after the first and second waves of digitalization. But they failed to effectively handle the various stakeholders, policies, and privacy issues needed to create a truly integrated digitized healthcare system. This is partly because the first and second waves of digitalization concentrated more on procedures rather than on patient needs.

Now that patients across the world have become more relaxed with digital networks and resources, including for complicated and delicate matters such as healthcare (popular sites like Zocdoc [4], Tia [5], Flutter Health [6] are only three instances of this trend), the time has come for the digitalization of healthcare services.

1.2 Misconceptions of Digital Healthcare

Excellence in the third wave of digitalization relies mostly on first realizing the digital needs of patients in both the network and the facility [7,8]. Yet many digital health practices are also guided by misconceptions or evidence that are no longer relevant.

This chapter highlights four of those perspectives.

1.2.1 Misconception 1: People Do Not Want to Adopt Automated Healthcare Services

Many healthcare providers claim that, due to the delicate nature of the medical treatment, people do not choose to use digital services except in a few special cases; decision-makers also invoke statistics that suggest a comparatively poor use of digital health services. Currently, the findings show something different [9]. The reason is patients are reluctant to embrace digital healthcare as current methods do not satisfy their needs or are poor in quality. Patients would like to utilize digital healthcare facilities if those facilities encounter their desires and deliver the excellence level they imagine. Of course, nondigital channels will continue to be relevant and important, so digital channels will have to be embedded in a well-thought-through multichannel concept.

1.2.2 Misconception 2: Mainly Young Adults Choose Digital Services

One of the most common misconceptions around healthcare is that only young adults choose to utilize digital services, and hence digital healthcare does not meet several of the system’s main stakeholders. However, the main situation is that patients of all age categories can utilize automated healthcare systems. Elderly patients want automated healthcare facilities just as much as their younger individuals [10]. There is a variation, however, between the types of digital platforms that elderly and young patients are using. Elderly patients favor conventional digital platforms like sites and e-mails, whereas younger patients are predictably more responsive to newer platforms like social networking. The program level, not only the platform, should be partitioned by age; younger patients, of course, prefer to access health promotion and preventive programs, while elderly patients prefer data about urgent and chronic care services. But both parties are finding information at the same time.

1.2.3 Misconception 3: Mobile Health or M-health Is a Game-changer

M-health, the study of treatment enabled by mobile devices, is also celebrated as the direction of digital healthcare services. However, the availability of mobile healthcare is not widespread. It is also not the only important part of the future of healthcare digitalization.

There is a market for M-healthcare apps, and it is the highest among younger patients [11]. Health services should also build mobile applications that address these customers, for instance, infant health applications or those that may be categorized as fitness applications. Digital technologies can treat chronic problems that are usually seen in older adults.

1.2.4 Misconception 4: Patients Are Searching for New Applications and Features

Healthcare systems, payers, and suppliers also feel that they desire to be creative when developing their digital service contributions. But the key features people desire from their healthcare system are shockingly trivial: quality, easier access to information, compatibility with other platforms, and the accessibility to a real person if the digital service does not offer them what they want and need. Extremely developed technology, better applications, and more social networks are much less relevant for most patients.

1.3 The State of Digital Change of Healthcare in 2021

To recognize its meaning, it is important to consider the assumptions and facts of what patients need from digital healthcare. Thanks to innovations, patients are better treated with augmented reality equipment, wearable technologies, telehealth, and 5G digital technology. Doctors, on either hand, will automate their workflows by using Artificial Intelligence.

Here is a closer look at the state of digital change of healthcare in 2021:

1.3.1 The Growth in On-Demand Healthcare (Why Patients Need Healthcare on Their Schedule)

When thinking of “on-demand,” one may think of customers who desire things for their comfort, at their period wherever they appear to be. Healthcare is approaching the age of digitalization when patients are opting for on-demand healthcare due to their heavy workload. Mobile is particularly relevant when considering digital marketing.

People have become much more responsive to the digital era in the past decade. Mobility is the key to success, and recent figures indicate that most of the web surfing in the world takes place on smartphones [12].

Among the first principles for digital marketing is that people need to understand where the targeted audiences are coming together and approach them on those channels, that is, smartphones. This is not shocking considering that 77% of Indian citizens own a mobile.

More than four billion people worldwide are on the Internet, and there is a need for digitalization in healthcare.

Potential customers went online to access patient files for the following reasons:

• 47% of research physicians
• 38%research hospitals and healthcare facilities
• 77% book hospital appointments

The online market that connects physicians directly to healthcare facilities for short-term work makes things simpler for doctors to offer on-demand medical care to patients in particular circumstances that fit their skills, knowledge, and availability. In other words, physicians themselves become on-demand healthcare providers to adequately meet the changing requirements of the clients, another advantage of digitalization in the healthcare sector.

1.3.2 The Significance of Big Data in the Health Industry

Big data consolidate business information across platforms like social networking sites, e-commerce, online purchases, and banking transactions, and detect patterns and trends for potential usage [13].

Big data offers a range of significant features for the healthcare industry, which includes the following:

• The lower level of medical error: Via medical record review, the software will highlight any discrepancies between a patient’s healthcare prescriptions, alerting health practitioners and patients whenever there is a possible risk of a drug error.
• Promoting preventive treatment: A significant number of people visiting emergency departments. Big data analysis could classify these individuals and make protective intends to continue them from returning.
• More reliable staffing: A large data predictive analysis might allow clinics and hospitals to forecast potential admission rates, which enables these facilities to assign adequate personnel to the care of patients. This saves a lot of money and reduces the waiting time in the emergency department when the hospital is short-staffed.

With these advantages in mind, pharmaceutical and medical companies should participate in the organization of their data. This refers to the investment in analytics specialists who can integrate data not just to find weak points, but to also help organizations better understand their business.

1.3.3 The Wonder and Care of Patients with Artificial Intelligence

Ten years ago, telling people that they could reduce their suffering with a computer game-like gadget...