The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the adoption of a new range of medical innovations. As more companies focus on more research, innovations tend to bring care wherever the patient is; innovation will keep emerging over time to help offer better care to patients.
Here is a peek at the top medical innovations in the recent past and how they are predicted to improve patient care:
Vocal Biomarkers
Vocal biomarkers are designed to identify medical conditions from a conversation. It features a system checker software that can detect medical conditions from a person’s vocals. The system can discern the differences in the vocal pattern characteristic of a specific disease.
Engineers and researchers have explored the use of voice biomarkers through different initiatives. The released voice tech apps will potentially help diagnose other conditions beyond COVID-19. They could help provide cost-effective, fast, and more accurate checkups remotely, eliminating the need for hospital visits.
Chat Bots
Chatbots are the new first contact point for patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the use of smart algorithms to help healthcare professionals establish who could have been infected with the virus. Different institutions deployed chatbots to release the pressure on the healthcare system during the pandemic.
However, chatbots have been in development for many years, and various of them are available in the market for commercial use. The adoption of chatbots is expected to rise, and we will see more chatbots developed for specific medical conditions.
At-Home Testing Kits
At-home testing kits are lab bests that you can take in the comfort of your home. A home test kit can measure a range of health parameters that could otherwise be available in a laboratory. There are various at-home testing kits ranging from whole genome sequencing to microbiome analysis.
These kits are vital in providing important personalized health information conveniently and privately, relieving stress from healthcare institutions.
The increased use of at-home test kits has also been fueled by the need to identify COVID-19 infections effectively and fast. Most tests could be readily available and simple enough to use in the comfort of your home without needing technical knowledge.
Digital Health Insurance
The health insurance industry is bound to change with the significant increase in personalized health data from personal health sensors and wearables. Health insurance companies will now know more about the people to whom they are offering their services.
Digital health insurance will help revamp a failing industry. Insurance companies are currently championing the use of apps that will help make collecting information for their clients easier. However, this data collection method could potentially risk one’s privacy and lifestyle choices. Such insights could allow insurance companies to modify their benefits and plans accordingly.
It will be easier for them to determine the premiums for those at risk of some health conditions and identify those not taking proper care of their health.
A.I Diagnostics
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the potential adoption of AI in healthcare. Technology continues to be disruptive, and we can expect to adopt more A—I in diagnostics. AI diagnostic became popular in identifying COVID-19 from coughs.
Today patients can use a range of apps. For example, dermatology apps like Google Derm Assist that patients use to monitor and keep track of skin lesions and get recommendations when they need a specialist to take a further look.
Clinicians are also developing AI-based tools to support diagnoses. An Example is Path AI developing a system that uses pathology slides with AI technology to help pathologists to make a quicker and more accurate diagnosis. Scientists are also using machine learning to identify early signs of different conditions to help speed up the practitioners’ workflow and save a lot of time for patients.
Medical innovations continue to elevate the healthcare industry. Scientists keep coming up with new tech to fast-track the healthcare sector’s workflow and improve patient care.