Making healthcare tech accessible<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Healthcare accessibility<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy is healthcare tech often not accessible, and what can we do about it?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tRead article<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\nThe COVID effect<\/h2>\n
Although the healthcare industry has historically been slow to adopt digital tech<\/a>, the \u2018COVID effect\u2019 put telemedicine front and center for patients and providers.<\/p>\nKaspersky\u2019s 2021 report, Telehealth take-up: The risks and opportunities<\/a>, confirms healthcare is ready to embrace digital. More than 90 percent of providers use some form of telehealth, such as video consultation, mobile app or remote patient monitoring<\/a>. Interestingly, only half of providers used telehealth before COVID-19.<\/p>\nThe same report finds more than one in three, or 37 percent, in the medical community think tech could replace doctors by 2042. Is this fear of AI replacing humans or optimism about how fast digital technologies are advancing?<\/p>\n
A closer look at the data shows healthcare providers have become more optimistic about the impact of digital tech. Increasing telemedicine use is building confidence and reducing perceived risks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
At the same time, projected digital health adoption varies across regions.<\/p>\n
When will we see AI doctors and psychologists?<\/h2>\n
Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Russia are most optimistic about digital doctors. Around half of healthcare professionals in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions think digital technologies could replace doctors in the next 20 years, but only around one in three in North America and Europe.<\/p>\n
These differences may arise from varying public perceptions of digital health. In China in 2019, publicized events in which digital technologies assisted in animal operations<\/a>, minimally invasive heart surgery<\/a> and remote brain surgery<\/a> may have helped public and medical trust in digital health.<\/p>\nIn medical communities across regions, 40 percent predict there\u2019ll soon be digital replacements for psychologists. This may be because of the relative maturity of related technologies like text analysis and natural language processing (NLP.)<\/a><\/p>\nWhat will most drive value in healthcare?<\/h2>\n
Kaspersky\u2019s report found providers in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America think AI and big data will be the biggest driver of value for healthcare by 2045. But North America and Russia think it will be telemedicine and mobile apps. Wearables are valued similarly across regions.<\/p>\n
These differences might be explained by differences in how regions innovate. In the US, it tends to within an industry: Uber and Lyft for ride sharing and AirBnB for travel. In the Middle East and China on the other hand, super-apps<\/a> integrate services across industries, such as China\u2019s Meituan<\/a>, providing everything from concert tickets to hotel booking to food delivery.<\/p>\nAnother factor could be government and business emphasis on AI, machine learning and data analytics. In 2019, I spoke at the AI Everything summit in Dubai<\/a>, positioned as the largest AI conference in the world. The general level of interest in technologies like AI and uptake in other industries may influence how strongly healthcare professionals and patients welcome these.<\/p>\nTaking advantage of digital health optimism<\/h2>\n
How can we use the increased confidence in digital health to accelerate development? I suggest four approaches.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Enhance rather than replace experts<\/h3>\n
Digital health best works side-by-side with physicians, nurses and other care providers. For example, image recognition by machine learning can better detect some cancers<\/a>. This could free up oncologists and radiologists from routine image-reading to focus on treatment.<\/p>\nMachines could conduct screening, perform literature searches and help during operations, improving efficiency, cost-effectiveness and accuracy, and reducing the burden of increased volumes on healthcare providers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully manage and govern data<\/h3>\n
Health data is personal and sensitive. We must pay attention to how we collect and use it. In Kaspersky\u2019s survey, over half (52 percent) of frontline telemedicine providers said patients had declined video consultations over privacy and other data concerns.<\/p>\n
Why is healthcare tech often not accessible, and what can we do about it?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The COVID effect<\/h2>\n
Although the healthcare industry has historically been slow to adopt digital tech<\/a>, the \u2018COVID effect\u2019 put telemedicine front and center for patients and providers.<\/p>\n Kaspersky\u2019s 2021 report, Telehealth take-up: The risks and opportunities<\/a>, confirms healthcare is ready to embrace digital. More than 90 percent of providers use some form of telehealth, such as video consultation, mobile app or remote patient monitoring<\/a>. Interestingly, only half of providers used telehealth before COVID-19.<\/p>\n The same report finds more than one in three, or 37 percent, in the medical community think tech could replace doctors by 2042. Is this fear of AI replacing humans or optimism about how fast digital technologies are advancing?<\/p>\n A closer look at the data shows healthcare providers have become more optimistic about the impact of digital tech. Increasing telemedicine use is building confidence and reducing perceived risks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At the same time, projected digital health adoption varies across regions.<\/p>\n Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Russia are most optimistic about digital doctors. Around half of healthcare professionals in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions think digital technologies could replace doctors in the next 20 years, but only around one in three in North America and Europe.<\/p>\n These differences may arise from varying public perceptions of digital health. In China in 2019, publicized events in which digital technologies assisted in animal operations<\/a>, minimally invasive heart surgery<\/a> and remote brain surgery<\/a> may have helped public and medical trust in digital health.<\/p>\n In medical communities across regions, 40 percent predict there\u2019ll soon be digital replacements for psychologists. This may be because of the relative maturity of related technologies like text analysis and natural language processing (NLP.)<\/a><\/p>\n Kaspersky\u2019s report found providers in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America think AI and big data will be the biggest driver of value for healthcare by 2045. But North America and Russia think it will be telemedicine and mobile apps. Wearables are valued similarly across regions.<\/p>\n These differences might be explained by differences in how regions innovate. In the US, it tends to within an industry: Uber and Lyft for ride sharing and AirBnB for travel. In the Middle East and China on the other hand, super-apps<\/a> integrate services across industries, such as China\u2019s Meituan<\/a>, providing everything from concert tickets to hotel booking to food delivery.<\/p>\n Another factor could be government and business emphasis on AI, machine learning and data analytics. In 2019, I spoke at the AI Everything summit in Dubai<\/a>, positioned as the largest AI conference in the world. The general level of interest in technologies like AI and uptake in other industries may influence how strongly healthcare professionals and patients welcome these.<\/p>\n How can we use the increased confidence in digital health to accelerate development? I suggest four approaches.<\/p>\n Digital health best works side-by-side with physicians, nurses and other care providers. For example, image recognition by machine learning can better detect some cancers<\/a>. This could free up oncologists and radiologists from routine image-reading to focus on treatment.<\/p>\n Machines could conduct screening, perform literature searches and help during operations, improving efficiency, cost-effectiveness and accuracy, and reducing the burden of increased volumes on healthcare providers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Health data is personal and sensitive. We must pay attention to how we collect and use it. In Kaspersky\u2019s survey, over half (52 percent) of frontline telemedicine providers said patients had declined video consultations over privacy and other data concerns.<\/p>\nWhen will we see AI doctors and psychologists?<\/h2>\n
What will most drive value in healthcare?<\/h2>\n
Taking advantage of digital health optimism<\/h2>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Enhance rather than replace experts<\/h3>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully manage and govern data<\/h3>\n