The efforts aimed at improving and maintaining health by health experts and professionals are termed as healthcare. This process involves the diagnosis, medication, cure, and recovery of a disease and then prevention to avoid it. The primary objective of healthcare is to improve the standard of living and quality of life. With the introduction and rise in COVID-19 in 2019, there was a significant transformation seen in healthcare trends. Here we have compiled a list of some major and significant trends in healthcare in 2021.
Gene Editing and Genomics:
Lately, gene editing is being given more importance by healthcare professionals, and we have seen some significant breakthroughs in this field. This trend is expected to boost further in the upcoming years. It will also increase the effectiveness of drugs and treatments by personalising them according to the patients’ genetic profile. The significance of this technique was also seen in the detection of coronavirus by creating a “lab-on-chip.” It could be more effective by developing a device that would detect the coronavirus without physical contact with the suspected patient.
Virtual Care:
Earlier, the concept of virtual care did not get much appreciation from the public, but it gained much popularity on the verge of a pandemic. There was a massive increase in people visiting virtual hospital care. It is expected that this trend will prevail as more doctors and patients are driven towards a virtualisation mindset. Most of the virtual visits were related to mental health. The healthcare industry must align this approach in their system to make the most of this trend. It will also help them prepare for the future as the market’s needs change in terms of virtualisation in almost every job. It has provided so much ease and comfort in our lives that there is no way back out of it. But the healthcare industry should also keep in mind the concerns of people who do not have access to technology while incorporating virtual care in their systems.
Strategic Supply Chains:
Nowadays, more focus has been put on having agile supply chains in healthcare. Instead of relying on distributors, people are more driven towards the concept of self-distribution. This reduces the risk of depletion of items. But this strategy has a limited scope and application. In the pandemic, we saw a shortage of supply of certain healthcare supplies. This gave rise to more profound and stronger vendor relationships and backup suppliers. Developing a balanced and trustworthy relationship with the supplier and setting a mutual lower price is equally important. Also, having no backup plans and relying on single sourcing really put organisations in great trouble. Multi-sourcing is an excellent option to eliminate this danger as it provides you with more flexibility and reduces overreliance on a single vendor.
Revenue Diversification:
Keeping in view the advancement in technology, we see the use of data to generate revenue becoming more extensive nowadays and in the future. Data is regarded as the currency of tomorrow, and it is expected that large organisations will be making considerable investments to monetise the use of data. This data can be used to improve patient care, personalised healthcare facilities, and enhance productivity quoted nursing assignment writing UK in their nursing assignments. Organisations are also monetising data and creating mergers between the pharma and technology industries.
Artificial Intelligence and Automation:
Like every other field, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have taken hold in healthcare also. In radiology Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reduced reading errors, redundant tasks, improved workflow processes, and identification of data patterns to predict risk. It has also helped hospitals reducing their cost. Real-time information analytics is yet another step forward in the application of AI. Large organisations are incorporating real-time information to enhance clinical quality and efficient management of the inflow of patients. The repetitive tasks involved in the healthcare system are being automated to save time and cost. Specially designed sensors have also added up to healthcare efficiency and are expected to improve further in the future.
Personalised Care:
People are more inclined towards personalised care than ever before, be it conducted through virtual means or in-person. As per the patients, an ideal healthcare system is associated with customised care. They get more satisfaction when they are adequately listened to by the clinicians, and they are able to discuss their problems in detail with their doctor. In this regard, healthcare systems are focusing more on improved communication between the patients and their doctors to provide them with an improved experience. It also helps build loyalty among patients as they are more satisfied with the services and prefer to stay with you for an extended period of time.
Patient Consumerisation:
The healthcare system should be more efficient and responsive to people’s needs immediately as health is the most crucial element of life. Today, we can track our orders for the purchase of goods and receive their delivery in a day or two. Similarly, patients expect the same level of efficiency from the healthcare system. Unfortunately, we see much delay in the healthcare system, which has dire consequences. Many patients have to wait a long for getting an appointment, and then they are not sure when they will get their examination results. In such a situation, the need for a proper tracking system in healthcare becomes more crucial. Organisations are now emphasising improving transparency of the system, speed of providing health facilities, and enhancing patients’ convenience. They need to identify and eliminate barriers that reduce efficient service and convenience to patients.
Cooperative competition:
Cooperative competition, also known as competition, is also a significant trend seen in healthcare. Organisations are looking for opportunities in large pharmaceutical chains. There are opportunities for reducing the cost, improve downstream market capture and enhance core speciality service while maintaining a connection with the patients. Firms are now concentrating on their core service and offloading financially draining services that add up to the cost. To fill this gap, they find opportunities in the market with other firms specialising in the services that one is lacking. It increases their profitability and customer service. Taking advantage of emerging virtual care, organisations can find more opportunities in remote areas.
