By Deepti Mehtani, Vice President of Clinical Solutions, NextGen Healthcare
LinkedIn: Dr. Deepti Mehtani
LinkedIn: NextGen Healthcare
Over the past five years, mobile healthcare technology has expanded for both patients and providers. Now, it will continue to be an ever-present part of the individual healthcare journey.
So, as we mark the beginning of a new year, what can we expect to see in 2025 and beyond in the mobile health technology space, and how will AI and mobile solutions impact the future of healthcare?
Where are we now?
The rise of these technologies has been marked by features, platforms, and applications that have become commonplace in the patient experience. Tools such as telehealth platforms, online patient portals, and health and wellness apps are part of day-to-day life.
Patients have their medical histories, doctors, and appointment schedules at their fingertips. Coupled with platforms that offer medical appointments from anywhere and increased information, this has allowed patients to become more involved in their care and has shifted the patient and provider relationship towards collaboration.
This past year also spotlighted new hallmarks within healthcare technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) found itself at the forefront of many conversations. It has become an integral feature in dictation software, scribe services, and virtual assistants, and AI will continue to grow — it has a projected value of over $148 billion by the year 2029. In healthcare too, its capabilities are only predicted to expand.
Where are we going?
The future of healthcare technology will be marked by more advanced devices and continued integration, built to benefit patients and providers alike.
Wearable technology
While we have already seen a rise in personal health applications and equipment such as watches and rings, this space is anticipated to both grow and improve. Existing trackers monitor metrics such as heart rate, fitness level, and sleep quality. Many of these devices also connect to mobile applications that offer a broad overview of gathered data.
Going forward, consumers want these devices to become more comprehensive and to analyze more in-depth health insights, such as nutritional goals and intake, blood pressure, glucose levels, and pulse oximetry. These advances would also benefit population health analytics as providers have more in-depth, real-time metrics.
This technology will impact the future of healthcare as it will provide better patient health insights to providers. The continuous, mobile nature of these solutions captures a more complete outlook of patient metrics. With more data, providers can offer better diagnostics and care plans.
Integration
One of the greatest benefits of mobile technology is its ability to integrate. Providers have seen a growth in EHR integration, with technology such as dictation and transcription software integrating directly into their EHR.
As more technology, such as wearables, integrate into EHRs, providers and patients alike will have access to a more all-encompassing view of the care journey.
Internet of Medical Things
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a network that connects healthcare technologies, medical devices, and software applications. This platform is a hub for information surrounding healthcare technology. It has risen alongside telehealth, providing medical professionals a space to stay connected and track data to create better insights.
Over time, IoMT is expected to become more personalized and accurate with real-time responses and up-to-date analytics within various sectors of the healthcare industry.
The impact of AI on the future of healthcare
As mobile healthcare technology continues advancing, it will provide an optimal platform for artificial intelligence to continue growing with it. The growth of artificial intelligence will single-handedly fuel advances and solutions for the future of healthcare technology.
AI-powered clinical data capture
AI elevates the capabilities of the mobile EHR even more by offering structured clinical documentation and diagnostic suggestions.
As ambient listening technology has advanced, it too has begun offering diagnostics based on conversations between patients and providers. AI-powered documentation records and structures SOAP notes from the details of the patient visit. From these notes, the AI model offers relevant suggestions for diagnostic codes.
Data unlocking & predictions
Healthcare data can only be successfully utilized if it is structured, however, most data is unstructured. In 2022 for example, it was estimated that 97% of healthcare data is unused and unstructured.
AI machine learning algorithms and natural language processors can scan and structure vast amounts of data and turn it into usable information for healthcare professionals. This leads to an improved understanding of care plans and clinical insights.
Eventually, these insights can also be integrated with predictive models. This includes analyzing trends within practices so the necessary staff and resources can be anticipated and prepared. Additionally, in the realm of research, AI predictive models can be used to accelerate drug development and testing. By analyzing how compounds will interact with one another and forecasting the efficacy and safety of new medications, the process can become more streamlined and cost-effective.
Challenges for the future of healthcare technology
As always, greater opportunity with technology also leads to challenges. Specifically in healthcare, we will continue to see the importance of privacy and data security.
With AI, we will see new concerns about system biases. As AI algorithms are trained to process and analyze information, it is essential that the system learns from diverse demographics, so it does not perform according to narrow frames of reference. Developers and healthcare professionals must continuously monitor AI systems to detect and rectify any unfairness.
Finally, as mobile healthcare technology and AI play a greater role in everyday healthcare new ethical considerations may arise. These considerations will include where accountability lies for errors stemming from technology. Additionally, conversations will continue around what consent is necessary from patients concerning technology’s role in their care.
Thus, in order to continue improving healthcare technology, advances in security, privacy, and development must progress in tandem.
What’s next for mobile healthcare solutions?
As mobile healthcare technology continues to grow, it will only become more ingrained into the inner workings of care. However, continued growth in healthcare technology can lead to more informed care plans and better overall healthcare outcomes.
This article was originally published on the NextGen Healthcare blog and is republished here with permission.