Understanding the nature of technology-based next-generation smart healthcare system

Abstract

Strong broadband connectivity, information transfer, and betterment of medical healthcare facilities can be made between patients, medical healthcare providers, resources, and institutions through the diligent usage of advancing technology [1]. These new technological healthcare provisions can help prevent diseases, carry out high-grade diagnoses, and conduct medically directed research processes. Smart healthcare techniques surely improve medical services entirely but the challenges faced due to the constant digitalization of the healthcare sector need to be solved proactively and instantly [2]. This will help utilize the progressive technological support as a privilege to the healthcare institutions and stop unnecessary technology-covered negligence and wrongdoings. This medical article is an attempt to understand the technology-driven smart healthcare system, its advantages, applications, and limitations so that it can be used conscientiously while abiding by technological healthcare rules and guidelines.

Introduction

With the enhancement of information and technology, the healthcare sector has also gone through a lot of digitization and informatization. Along with advancement, a new smart healthcare system comprising 360-degree multilevel changes in medical treatment methods and services is emerging slowly and steadily. These holistic healthcare transformations have shifted [2].

• The medical focus from disease-specific to patient-centered
• Information construction from clinical setup to regional medical setup
• Medical management from general to personalized
• Choosing disease treatment over preventive provisions

These cumulative beneficial changes in healthcare have improved the efficiency of medical care, enhanced the health service experience, and identified the modern medicine-related futuristic developmental directions.

So, it is highly necessary to understand the niche concept of smart healthcare in detail along with its advantages, challenges, and ways to tackle the same meticulously.

Grasping smart healthcare

It is a type of healthcare system that utilizes technology to access information, build connectivity with people, medical resources and institutions and cater for all medical care-related responsibilities in an intelligent manner. It helps construct better quality information generation in the field of medicine encourages communication between healthcare provider teams, assists them in their decision making and increases medical resources and service availability to the patients [3].

Common crucial smart healthcare-related technologies

On a day-to-day basis, smart healthcare includes every healthcare provider such as doctors, their patients, hospitals, and research agencies. It is comprehensively directed towards the prevention of diseases, constant monitoring of the diagnosis, smooth managing the hospital functioning and conducting new medical-centred research.

Patients are provided wearable devices to monitor their health parameters and trained to reach out to the healthcare team for medical assistance and various intelligent clinical support systems and gadgets are being developed to improve diagnosis of the diseases in patients [4].

Many technology applications are being developed for archiving and communicating medical records and patient healthcare data. Robotic surgeries are being introduced in some healthcare departments [4]. Information technology is being used to manage medical resources, support supply chain activities, collect crucial information and help in taking key medical decision making.

Utilization of smart healthcare services:

Diagnosing and treating diseases

Mixed reality, artificial intelligence and surgical robots are being used to diagnose and cure diseases currently [4]. There is an advancement in the accuracy of results and attainment of positive health outcomes. Patients can explain in detail about their medical condition and future treatment plans which will be offered to them. Disease pathology and imaging facilities are becoming more optimum and easier to understand. There is an error-freeness in the entire patient treatment process. There is valued positive change in medical education, research, communication, and treatment methodologies [5].

Administration of the Healthcare system 

There is increased attention towards self-management of the patient, emphasizing real-time self-monitoring, data entry, instant feedback generation and incorporation of timely medical interventions [7]. A lot of advanced medical devices are being developed which are easy to use and maintain and able to sense different physiological parameters of patients intelligently. All these help in reducing energy consumption, enhancing patient comfort, and allowing easy smooth data combination and flow between healthcare-providing channels. It helps provide continuous patient-integrated healthcare. There is a dual benefit in the whole healthcare facility, patients can monitor their health status and healthcare providers can be in constant touch with the patient’s variable health parameters and offer prompt healthcare assistance.

Preventing disease and monitoring risks

There is an eruption of personalized disease risk prediction, enabling active participation from patients and doctors, proactive disease vulnerability monitoring and providing targeted disease preventive measures based on monitored results [7]. Patient healthcare parameters and disease-linked data are collected through patient wearable devices, and uploaded on a cloud network, and results are analysed through big data-based algorithms via short message systems. There is an opportunity for the patients and healthcare providers to adjust their medical behaviour and lifestyle habits as per the acquired medical data and bring in desired positive changes to reduce disease risk.

Assisting virtually

Virtual assistants act as a convenient comfortable communication ligand between doctors, patients, and medical institutions [6]. Patients’ daily health parameter inputs are easily converted into complex medical terminologies and timely instant interventions are being provided. On behalf of doctor’s virtual assistants automatically respond to the patient’s basic health parameter entries, the doctor’s time is saved and they can manage patients well and carry out medical procedures flawlessly. Medical institutions can preserve manpower and valuable resources and be able to provide efficient patient care provisions.

Development of smart healthcare technology-based hospitals [2]

These are regional including both the hospital and the patient's family. Smart hospital activities are governed by technology-based communications, improving patient care, and adding new medicine-related features. Patients are being identified and monitored regularly, medical staff are managed smoothly and instruments and patient specimens are tracked accurately. A close relationship is being developed between the pharmaceutical industry and hospital drug production, processing, circulation, and inventory management. There is better resource allocation, cost-effectiveness and decision-making related to patient care. Patients are privileged to gain access to multiple medical services such as quick physical examinations, online doctor’s appointments, and instant interaction with the healthcare provider. There is an advancement in the integration, customization, and automation of patient healthcare facilities.

Conducting research for new drugs [2]

Drug research is becoming more accurate and convenient with the introduction of artificial intelligence and the generation of a bigger patient data pool. Drug development is also becoming hassle-free comprising targeted drug discovery screening, better organized clinical trials and computer-based drug analysis throughout the drug research and development. Drug molecules are being studied and analyzed carefully, minutely, and attentively which saves the whole clinical trial duration making it crisp and efficient. Simultaneously participant’s data is protected safely and credibility is maintained during the entire drug development process.

Economizing cost [2]

There is significant time-saving in terms of healthcare providers' daily activities, which enhances their productivity, efficiency, and overall workability. Cumulatively this is increasing market shares and profit margins for the healthcare institutions.

Healthcare personalization [2]

Currently, technology related to healthcare is working towards developing customized patient disease and genetic nature-specific drugs. It is still in its nascent stage and needs a lot of trials and errors based on the pros and cons of the entire process.

Exponential patient data generation [2]

A large amount of patient data can easily be collected with the help of technological advancement, which can be maintained easily, can be used to provide prompt therapy directions, and used for researchers to improve medical science-related information and knowledge pool.

Betterment of patient education [2]

A wide range of constant patient awareness and medical empowerment is being done with the help of technological progression. Patients are becoming more health conscious, better prepared and medically informed about their disease condition and treatment therapy availability.

Healthcare technology-based challenges and their solutions [2]

The addition of new technology in the healthcare sector has originated unknown problems and daily challenges. There is a lack of macro-level technology-based healthcare guidance leading to undefined goal development and useful resource wastage. Also, technological standards are not uniformly made as per regional variability and there is an insufficiency in ensuring patient data integrity. Data sharing and communication is difficult due to the complicated quality and quantity of the large data. Technology-based healthcare devices sometimes become incompatible with specific platforms. Patients are unsure about their personal data privacy as there is a shortage of relevant technology-lined healthcare norms.

The solution to the technology-based healthcare challenges is the upgradation of technology, sensible analysis of big patient data and development of universal healthcare technical standards, legal rules, and regulations to secure smart healthcare.

Opportunity to improve healthcare-based technology [1]

• Develop error and bug-free technological devices that are easy to handle and rectify in case of malfunctioning.
• Direct easy uploading of the patient parameters recorded on the devices, smooth communication to the healthcare provider and instant remedial response from the healthcare facility to the patient.
• Providing healthcare technology-based standard operating procedure training to every healthcare provider and offering them easy access to the manufacturer's customer service in case of system breakdown.

Future responsibilities [1]

Healthcare institutions, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, research agencies, and the government need to unite to make technology-driven new healthcare legalities and guidelines that can be utilized universally with greater ease, privacy, and safety. Patient health records can be maintained in digital lockers which they can access from anywhere in the world effortlessly. Everyone involved in the healthcare system needs to use the boon of technology responsibly so that malpractices and misuse can be averted.

Conclusions

Smart healthcare made with the help of digitally driven technology can offer and facilitate improved efficient management of patient healthcare needs. Timely appropriate usage of technological medical services and tools can save time, provide customized patient benefits, simplify disease diagnosis, be more cost-effective, decrease healthcare providers’ workload, enhance their productivity, and help make entire healthcare functioning a smooth-going activity.

Despite the endless benefits of the new technology-driven smart healthcare system, it is embedded with loopholes, drawbacks, and challenges, which need to be attentively addressed and solution-based preventive measures and guidelines should be developed, and skilfully implemented along with strong support from the whole healthcare fraternity and regular upgradation of the technology-based healthcare amenities.

References

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