Endless innovation in medical devices and Medtech has contributed to the transformation of healthcare practice over the years.
With accelerating pace of evolving technology, there have been disrupting innovations in many sectors in the healthcare industry including medical devices, medical softwares, communication technology, and information technology.
This infographic explores the top 6 innovations that transformed the healthcare industry worldwide, presented by Advent Health University.
Market Expansion of Medical Devices in Robotics and Medical Imaging
According to data from Adapt Insights, by 2023, the global medical equipment market will reach $640.9 billion. This growth is attributed to advances in the field from robotics to nuclear medicine.
Robotic Surgery
In recent years there has been increased demand for quicker recovery, decreased pain, and discomfort that have contributed to growth in the global market for robotic surgery, and the adoption of minimally invasive procedures is increasing.
The use of robotic surgery in operating rooms is seen as the latest technology advance in medicine. Robotic surgery reduces the need for some staff compared with conventional operations, which involve almost dozen surgeons.
Benefits of Robotic Surgery
- Enable operations to occur through minimally invasive incisions.
- Eliminated unwanted motion.
- Improve surgical dexterity.
- Allow remote surgery.
- Decrease complication and mortality rates.
Applications of Robotic Surgery
- Prostate cancer surgery.
- Liver resection.
- Pancreatectomy.
- Liver transplant.
- Bariatric surgery
- Hysterectomy.
Nuclear Medicine Imaging
Imaging in nuclear medicine uses small quantities of radioactive materials known as radiotracers usually inhaled, swallowed, or injected into the bloodstream.
The radiotracer passes through the examined region and gives energy to your body in the form of gamma rays, which are detected by a special imaging systems.
Nuclear medicine imaging provides specific knowledge which is usually not obtainable by other imaging techniques and offers the opportunity to identify diseases in the earliest stage possible.
Benefits of Nuclear Medicine Imaging
- Reduce the time and expense of bringing a drug to market.
- Noninvasive and usually painless.
- Less expensive than exploratory surgery.
- Provide more precise information than exploratory surgery.
- Help identify disease in its earliest stage.
- May eliminate the need for surgical biopsy.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Medicine Imaging
- Slight pain and redness caused by an injection of the radiotracer.
- Potentially lower image resolution, compared with CT and MRI.
Applications of Nuclear Medicine Imaging
- Drug discovery and development.
- Radioactive iodine (i-131) therapy
- Radioimmunotherapy.
Telemedicine / Telehealth
Benefits of Telemedicine
- Increase convenience.
- Increase access to care for individuals living in remote or rural areas.
- Facilitate access for patients with children or busy jobs.
- Improve patient satisfaction due to eliminated travel and time spent in waiting rooms.
- Increase productivity for healthcare providers.
Disadvantages of Telemedicine
- Possibility of fragmentation of patient records if data is collected from different sources.
- Security challenges.
- Subjective reimbursement policies.
- Complex legal and regulatory frameworks.
Applications of Telemedicine
- Follow-up care.
- Chronic disease management.
- Assisted living.
Augmented Reality (AR / Virtual Reality (VR)
The art of superimposing computer-generated content over a live view of the world is augmented reality (AR). In real-time AR brings digital knowledge into the user’s context and makes medical education, photography, dental practice, and nursing training available and more affordable.
Virtual reality enables physicians and patients to look inside the body, it’s beneficial to patient and physicians education, patients can have a 3D trip inside their body to see the proposed surgical plan so they can get more involved in their condition.
The uses of AR and VR are becoming particularly dominant in the field of plastic surgery. People want to know how they are going to look like post a procedure. AR and VR are helping medical professionals in this niche show to their customers the final outcome of their expertise. For example, something like a droopy eyelids correction procedure when shown through VR can help the individuals better understand the final results.
Benefits of AR & VR in Healthcare
- Increase learning retention and understanding for healthcare professionals.
- Improve patient understanding of healthcare science.
- Increase empathy by enabling someone to see the impact of a disease or condition.
- Provide a captivating approach to presenting new drugs and medical devices.
Disadvantages of AR & VR in Healthcare
- Not applicable for explaining heavy content presented in medical journals.
Applications of AR & VR in Healthcare
- Patient and doctor education.
- Surgical visualization.
- Disease simulation to enhance patient treatments and outcomes.
- Product launches of life sciences companies.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
AI in healthcare is revolutionizing the medical industry by providing a helping hand in the age of pandemics. We’ll elaborate more about AI and the different ways in which artificial intelligence is impacting the healthcare domain.
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare
- Help physicians better identify patients who need extra attention.
- Improve care through greater personalization.
- Reduce manual labor.
- Free up the primary care physician’s time for face-to-face interactions with patients.
- Increase productivity, precision, and efficacy.
Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
- Potential loss of jobs.
- Lack of human touch and emotional intelligence.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
- Online scheduling of appointments and online check-ins in medical centers.
- Digitization of medical records.
- Reminder calls for follow-up appointments.
- Drug development.
- Disease diagnostics.
- Analysis of health plans.
- Health monitoring.
- Digital consultation.
- Surgical treatment.
- Managing medical data.
- Personalized treatment.
Medical 3D Printing
3D printing in healthcare is an additive manufacturing technique that produces three-dimensional artifacts by layering raw materials including metals, plastics, and ceramics. The artifacts are created from a digital file, which is captured from a magnetic resonance image (MRI) or a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing, allowing the designer to easily alter or modify the product as desired.
Benefits of Medical 3D printing
- Increase the ability to produce customized and personalized medical products and equipment.
- Increase cost efficiency through reduced manufacturing costs.
- Enhance productivity compared with typical manufacturing processes.
- Facilitate collaboration and democratization of goods design and manufacturing.
Disadvantages of Medical 3D printing
- The current inability to bio print complex 3D organs.
- Lack of vision, funds, and time for the technology to meet current expectations.
- Safety and security concerns (counterfeit substandard medical devices or medications).
- Lack of clarity surrounding patent and copyright laws.
- Need for regulatory approval – a barrier to widespread medical applications.
Applications of Medical 3D printing
- Anatomical models for surgical preparations.
- Bioprinting and tissue engineering.
- Personalized prosthetics.
- 3D -printed skin for burn victims.
- Custom 3D printed dosage forms and drug delivery devices.
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