Are you wondering about the top medical innovations to look out for this year? In 2021, the pandemic only accelerated some already-established medical trends in order to provide global help. You can expect to see more emphasis on AI solutions, remote care, and at-home tests in the upcoming years.
The thing about digital care and at-home care is that care tends to be shifting in the direction of wherever the patient is.
Vocal Biomarkers
What is more futuristic than having a solid real-time conversation with an AI that, in return, can tell you a lot about the state of your mental health? It can also tell whether or not you have the virus, as you might have already noticed that voice-text startups are blooming, leveraging machine learning to detect voice biomarkers that are red flags for certain conditions.
For instance, the characteristics of your voice – the algorithms can be accurate, fast, and effective solutions compared to the average checkup procedures, which could also be the difference between life and death.
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is about highlighting the potential limitations that a person might have regarding access and affordability of healthcare. The pandemic has also established the importance of telemedicine and how much it has alleviated the potential burdens on hospitals.
Now it is quite easy to understand why money has started pouring into voice tech as it is able to accurately diagnose some conditions in an easy way that requires the potential patient to simply speak into a smartphone.
AI Diagnostics
It has been analyzed that AI in diagnostics can help in loads of ways. For instance, skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. You would be surprised to know that at least one in five people is prone to receive a skin cancer analysis during their life.
The thing is that all skin cancers can be treated and cured if they are detected early. But, performing skin checks are usually at the end of the list when we think about health checkups.
Nonetheless, when the pandemic disrupted our lives, we saw a general absence from all diagnostic appointments, which is why many doctors fear that loads of skin cancer cases might have gone and stayed undetected in 2020 and 2021.
While no one can refute the importance of telemedicine, the thing is that medical professionals and health care providers might not be available and accessible online at all times, which is why AI diagnostics – or technology – is a much better way to receive a diagnosis.
That said, skin-check apps have highly risen in demand – and more startups are emerging in this field. With the help of these apps, potential patients don’t require dedicated medical advice. All they need is their smartphones, and they can easily check their skin through image-based diagnosis.
The apps use an AI-integrated scan and flag suspicious skin issues by recommending that potential patients visit a doctor.
It is important to mention here that AI cannot replace physicians, but the physician using AI will replace those that don’t use AI. Suppose you are a medical healthcare professional who is part of a startup clinic. In that case, you can immensely benefit from the agility medical equipment, as these are known to be the best.
Chatbots
In recent years, nearly everyone has come in direct communication with chatbots. These smart algorithm-powered texts and voice-based interfaces have multiplied in healthcare and the business world.
Chatbots are used in conducting a conversation, and these are becoming more and more popular as they can be perfect assistants to lessen the burden on medical professionals. We have countless cases where a digital assistant, also known as the chatbot, could help nurses, doctors, patients, and their families.
Chatbots can help with the better organization of a patient’s pathway, patient management, assisting in emergency situations, offering potential solutions for simple medical issues, and recalling the patient’s medical history.
According to different surveys, people prefer interacting with chatbots because there is less waiting time involved. Also, chatbots can accurately respond to queries and recall a patient’s history. Chatbots can also address a person’s misunderstandings and guide them about medical procedures.