The primary objective of digital transformation is to replace traditional, outdated solutions as well as processes with modern ones by leveraging the latest technologies.
According to Statista, spending on digital transformation has already surpassed $1.3 Trillion US dollars worldwide. And the same is growing at a whopping 10.4% year on year.
Put another way, embracing digital transformation is no longer an option in almost every industry and the healthcare industry is no exception.
In fact, if you’re from the healthcare industry, you’d be happy to know digital transformation in healthcare has enormous potential to optimize operational processes and improve the overall patient experience all the while reducing costs.
In this post, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about digital transformation in healthcare including trends, major challenges, and their solutions.
So without wasting any time, let’s jump right in!
What is Digital Transformation in Healthcare?
Digital transformation in healthcare is making use of the latest technologies, methodologies, and processes to deliver sustainable value to patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare organizations.
It’s basically about embracing and employing advanced technologies and innovative approaches to maximize benefits.
According to Deloitte’s recent study, around 92% of healthcare professionals & institutes achieved better performance from digital transformation.
But, if you’re still not convinced, let’s check out the benefits of digital transformation in healthcare for patients, healthcare institutes/organizations, and the healthcare industry as a whole.
Benefits of Digital Transformation For Patients
Digital transformation provides significant advantages to patients through digital healthcare solutions. Let’s check them out below.
Better & More Personalized Services
The implementation of digital transformation in healthcare enables more accurate health diagnoses and even better & more effective as well as personalized treatment.
Better Communication with Doctors
With digital transformation, patients can obtain professional healthcare services online through video calls, chatting, treatment strategies, and receive clear prescriptions over the healthcare portal or email.
Easy Access to Personal Health Data
Patients can easily access and manage their personal health records and even conduct a thorough analysis of their health metrics online.
Convenient Appointment Scheduling
Digital transformation in healthcare enables patients to schedule doctor’s appointments at the most convenient date.
Track Health Metrics in Real-Time
The use of advanced technologies like Health Wearables allows patients to track their important health metrics in real-time.
Benefits of Digital Transformation for Healthcare Institutes/Organizations
It’s clear that digital transformation in healthcare brings impressive benefits to the patients.
But what are the benefits healthcare institutes and organizations get from it?
Let’s find out!
Reduced Costs
Digital transformation enables processes automation which in turn lets healthcare institutes & organizations offer cost-effective services and eliminate unnecessary spending in traditional healthcare services.
Optimized Workflow
Digital transformation can replace the paperwork with digital records, reduce the patient examination time, and allow easier & optimized access to patient health records.
Enable Improved Interaction with Patients
Digital transformation can enable improved and more effective online interaction with patients via video calls & chats.
Secure Database for Electronic Medical Records
Digital transformation in healthcare allows you to create a secure database for encrypting, storing, and accessing private medical records of patients and enables sharing them on-demand with healthcare professionals, laboratories, and medical specialists.
Benefits of Digital Transformation for Healthcare Industry
As you just saw, digital transformation in healthcare provides plenty of benefits for both patients as well as healthcare institutes & organizations.
With digital transformation innovations, in fact, the entire healthcare industry will gain unmatchable benefits and grow to the next level.
Following are some of the main benefits of digital transformation for the healthcare industry as a whole.
More Effective Internal Communication
The whole healthcare industry relies largely on communication to provide patients with proper care. And digital transformation enables more efficient & smooth communication between all stakeholders.
Better Time Management
Digital transformation can significant amount of valuable time in the healthcare industry. This, as a result, can save numerous lives, thanks to the 24/7 accessibility to the patient’s health records and real-time coordination.
Improved Healthcare Services
The healthcare industry is patient-centric and therefore it is essential to leverage advanced procedures for precise & proper diagnosis and treatment.
Digital transformation allows integrating various technologies to enable healthcare professionals & institutes to provide more effective as well as personalized treatment to patients.
Top 7 Digital Transformation Trends in Healthcare
Based on what we just learned, it’s clear that Digital Transformation in Healthcare can substantially improve the ability of healthcare professionals, institutions, and organizations to provide better treatment to patients and help them live healthier and longer lives.
That being said, let’s look at some of the top digital transformation trends in healthcare you should keep an eye on if you’re from the healthcare industry.
Health Wearables
In the past, people were content with going for a health checkup once a year and only meeting with doctors when something went wrong.
Today, however, patients are primarily focusing on consistent maintenance of their health and are demanding information regarding their health more frequently.
Because of this, people are now actively investing in wearable technology devices to monitor important health metrics & determine the chances of a major health event.
In fact, a recent study has also discovered that the health wearable device market is forecasted to surpass $74 Billion US dollars by 2026, which is a massive jump from just $27 Billion US dollars in 2020.
Some of these health wearable devices that are popular include:
- Exercise trackers
- Fitness bands
- Oximeters
- Sweat meters (used for tracking blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.)
These connected wearable devices can help healthcare professionals with better ability to capture essential medical information of patients in real-time and obtain a more accurate assessment of patients’ health.
One great example of Health Wearables is Apple Watch.
Recently, Apple Watch saved a man’s life after he fell from his electric bike. Upon falling, Apple Watch immediately alerted respective authorities with his location information.
In fact, when the emergency services arrived at the location, they found a man lying on the street, bleeding heavily from the head. Fortunately, the emergency services were able to help save that man’s life, all thanks to Apple Watch.
Patient Portals
Another leading trend of digital transformation in healthcare is patient portals.
As the name suggests, patient portals are basically online platforms that allow patients to access their health records, schedule appointments, chat with doctors, and so on.
One of the primary reasons why patient portals are a trend is because it promotes transparency and convenience.
Read more: Digital Transformation in Healthcare
