The environment in the healthcare industry is developing faster than ever.
Innovations in the medical industry, policy changes, and the evolution of technology fueled by a massive wave of millennial momentum have ushered in a new era in healthcare.
There is a need for change as the priorities of global populations transform.
However, that is not all; COVID-19 dramatically changed life. Within a few weeks, many people were sick and grappling with pain, curfews, and financial distress.
Right in the center of the storm was the entire healthcare system. Doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, and paramedics were on high alert and had to respond fast when called upon. They cared for the sick and contained the spread of the virus. Yet still, they had to develop effective and safe new treatments.
All these caused a massive shift in health care and how everything was handled.
In this article, we look at the top five healthcare trends in twenty-twenty-three—exactly three years after the first case of the CoronaVirus.
Personalized Healthcare
First on the list is the evolution of personal health care.
There’s been a push towards personalization due to individual recognition that everyone is different and has different needs.
Covid -19 helped us see that there’s never a one case fits all scenario. Albeit, no one wants to be treated like a statistic, just another number in the sea of numbers.
Personalization in health care came as a breath of fresh air.
It helped people throughout the world get involved in things affecting their personal health.
A combination of old-school medical methods and new technology made it easier.
Below are Some of the aspects of health care that have successfully gotten personalized in different places:
- Most Hospitals and health care providers know most hospital stays are unplanned. Thus, they came up with concierge services to offer customers non-clinical items. Reading materials, free internet, and other services are tailor-made according to patients’ needs.
- Apps like BYON8, My Health My Life, and Dial Daktari offer personalized online therapy tailored to patients’ needs.
- Many hospitals use DNA reports of the patients’ to check on potential health risks. “The reports are not comprehensive,” you may say. But, they allow people to know about the diseases that run in their families.
- More and more hospitals have begun creating a luxury spa feeling in their wards. Like at the Nairobi west hospital maternity wards, patients choose between a private room, a VIP room, and a V VIP room.
- Pharmtech also saw the invention of personal gadgets that can help you track vitamin and mineral deficiency or other aspects of one’s diet. One such invention is vitastiq.
- Pharmacies like Goodlife offer free Vitamin Deficiency testing to administer the right supplement and personalized diet routine advice.
Mental Healthcare
There has been a spike in mental health-related problems in recent years. Studies show that there has been at least a 25% increase in depression and anxiety levels.
Unfortunately, until recently, no one wanted to talk about mental health. People were in pain and lived in shame, fearing being labeled mad. Soon suicide rates became so high that authorities had to take notice.
Ultimately, celebrities started coming out with narration about their pain and struggle with mental health problems. They were talking about their pain and struggles with mental health problems.
For instance, In twenty-twenty before the Olympics, American Gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the competition. Her reasons were she wanted to assess and treat her mental health problems.
Similarly, The Japanese Lawn Tennis player, Naomi Osaka, withdrew from the French Open. She also cited her struggles with depression and anxiety.
With all these going on during the pandemic, there had to be a solution.
Healthcare practitioners considered looking for ways they could offer therapy. Whatever they did, they had to help people without exposing them further to the virus.
And with that, Teletherapy was born.
Telehealth counseling is counseling conducted either over the phone or online. It incorporates methods beyond traditional visits to therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists.
New software and technologies created allowed for various therapy sessions, such as
- over the phone sessions
- Group therapies via virtual counseling
- Treatment through email, apps, or instant messaging
In Kenya, sites like Niskize, Wazi, and Intrapersonal health all offer teletherapy services online
So far, among the emerging trends, Teletherapy has proven to be among the most helpful.
More people understand the importance of healthcare supplements
For a long time, more women than men have used health supplements.
There was a lot of mystery surrounding supplements. From how they could cause strange diseases to how they were a “one pill fixes all kind of solution.”
Luckily, there’s been more understanding of health supplements in the last two years. Their importance and how to use them for better health.
Whatever form supplements come in, whether in liquid form, powder form, capsules, or pills, the goal is always the same.
Enhance your health by supplementing your diet to get enough nutrients.
All supplements contain at least one dietary ingredient, such as amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, or minerals.
Multivitamins are among the popular supplements you can get on the market. Other health available health supplements include:
Virtual Healthcare
You might not have known, but there is a name for the fear of doctors.
Iatrophobia.
Most of us don’t especially appreciate visiting the doctor’s office.
No one appreciates the cold environment, the long waits, and the painful procedures. Doctors’ visits cause anxiety in everyone.
Other than the fear of visiting the doctors. Many people do not have time in their busy schedules to visit the hospital, especially when they feel that they are not critically ill.
During the covid19 pandemic, people avoided going to the hospitals.
No one wanted to expose themselves or be in an unsafe environment. So they waited, hoping to get somehow better.
But there was a problem, more and more people died of diseases that could have gotten treated.
“Waiting to receive medical care is not only detrimental to a patient’s health, but it can also be extremely damaging financially. As conditions escalate, it can lead to more complicated surgeries, extended hospital stays, more medications, and higher costs.”Healthcare2U.
These are some reasons why it is vital to access doctors without visiting a hospital.
Either through Apps or dedicated phone numbers.
Wearable devices
One of the most interesting new trends is wearable devices.
Everyone has or wants to have a smartwatch. Pregnant women now wear waistbands to know their babies’ heart rates.
You will agree with me when I say wearable devices have become so popular in the medical field over the last few years.
When covid-19 started, UCSF collaborated with Oura on a study to detect its signs early.
Since then, Searches for “Oura Ring” increased by 4,000% in five years as people adopted its use.
In 2018 the Apple Watch got approved by the FDA as a medical device. With over 100 million users, Apple got access to critical medical data. The company collaborated with Stanford University to conduct a study on irregular heart rhythms.
They wanted to know about common heart conditions and if the smartwatch could detect them.
Apple is at it again with a new heart study together with johnson and johnson. This time though, their focus is on seniors 65 years and over.
Is the entry of Apple into healthcare a passing cloud?
We can’t bet on it, but there’s a catch,
Not everyone is happy about the internet of things (IoT) and its achievements.
Many cardiologists feel there is an exaggerated claim to what tech firms can achieve.
Their worry is the monitoring could cause an increase in avoidable medical treatments.
Privacy issues are also a concern.
Why is that?
Only a few technology companies keep their users’ information private.
A report in the Washington Post showed that Ovia sold its users’ data to their employers.
With these privacy concerns, will people get reluctant to accept tech companies?
So far, it’s a “no.”
Everyone values the reliability of wearable devices.
When it’s all Said and Done
These and many more new trends are here to stay with us.
I must say; these are interesting times to live and enjoy abundant health.
As a leading healthcare provider, Mega We Care is keen on these trends and has invested in the right technologies that will enable them to help you to respond to most health problems.
Contact us today for insights and quality products that will help you take control of your health.
