By Rachna Dayal
Evolution is the key to survival, and it usually comes from a place of pain, discontent, or struggle for basic existence. When we look at our healthcare systems and infrastructures around the world, we realize that these institutions are stretched thin as they provide care to patients. The reasons for this current state are many, including clinician burnout, higher volume of patients due to longevity, lack of access where it is needed most, and the need for better outcomes with outdated technology and processes.
All of the challenges that our healthcare systems face, are leading to an evolution towards a more digital, data based and patient centric future for healthcare. The innovations we are starting to see in some fields enabled by technology are integration of patient generated continuous health data, AI enabled tech platforms that can significantly speed up drug discovery as well as clinical trials, targeted clinician education for better learning as well as better outcomes, and platforms bridging the supply and demand gaps for clinicians between regions and sometimes even between countries. The list is long and rightfully so since the list of challenges that need resolution is long as well.
The Healthcare Track at TiEcon is focused on this digital enabled future! Certain technologies are preferred in healthcare due to the criticality of timely patient care and privacy. A great example of this is Edge Computing: the reduced latency in data availability is critical in applications where clinicians need to access a patient’s healthcare history fast, e.g. trauma patients that may have many co-morbidities and/or allergies to certain life saving drugs.
Another fascinating field is that of sensor enabled devices, both consumer and medical grade. These devices enable capture of continuous health data that can provide a much more comprehensive picture of an individual’s overall health, risks and trends based on lifestyle. This has enabled patients to be more informed about their own health and, in many cases, take charge. As a result, we finally see the needle moving towards more patient centric care in the future.
TiEcon 2023 has an amazing Healthcare Track on May 4th, 2023 where you can mingle and be part of the future of healthcare discussions. The speaker lineup is inspiring as are the startups innovating in this field!