Advances in digital technology have changed the way many people go about their daily lives, offering simpler, faster and often, more cost-efficient ways of working, socialising and accessing numerous services.
It has also given consumers more choice than ever before, and with that, the opportunity to tailor many aspects of their lives to their specific and personal needs.
This includes healthcare.
The digitisation of healthcare has been progressing at breakneck speed, with the global pandemic and rapid evolution of social and digital media resulting in significant steps forward in this area, particularly within the last two to three years.
The modern patient is tech-savvy (or has someone in their immediate family who is), with a wealth of information available at their literal fingertips, assisting them to make decisions about their healthcare needs and goals.
Added to this is the increased accessibility of telehealth consultations, at-home testing and other digital health services, which allows patients to quickly advance from diagnosis to management and treatment – reducing time and healthcare costs.
Healthcare providers and developers must now adapt and keep pace with this increasing digitisation to ensure exciting new care treatments are readily accessible and cost-efficient.
We expect these leaps forward in patient engagement will be hugely amplified by the increased application of state-of-the-art technology and advanced analytical techniques which are opening up new avenues for precision medicine by changing the way we are able to look at, and diagnose, a wide range of diseases.
Example technologies are mass spectrometry for protein diagnostics and next generation sequencing for DNA diagnostics. Both have astonishing powers to help us understand the make-up of our bodies and what is changing at the molecular level, allowing for more accurate, personalised diagnostics.
Such advanced medical devices are normally confined to specialist laboratories and fall outside the scope of routine clinical pathology testing. However, the changing landscape means these advanced technologies are now one step from being routinely used as medical devices. They may soon be accessible from anywhere, by anyone.
The development of these devices combined with existing and expanding digital infrastructure not only offers a wider range of diagnostic tools to doctors and specialists, but also allows patients to better advocate for their own health.
Women’s health is one such area where we are increasingly seeing digital health and technological advancement combine to create precision healthcare approaches for patients, especially in the area of endometriosis.
Greater awareness of the condition and the development of digital apps have assisted women to record signs, symptoms and personal variabilities, allowing patients to better advocate for improved testing and second opinions, and push for holistic approaches to treatment and management of their condition.
The med-tech sector has an opportunity to be part of this digitisation through adoption of innovative advanced medical devices that complement the enhanced digital health pathways.
There is also an opportunity for the sector more broadly, as digital media platforms and established e-commerce practices allow consumers to bypass more traditional means of accessing care.
What were once expensive and low volume routes to market for diagnostic testing are being transformed into cost-effective and exciting opportunities to reach a cohort of consumers that previously might have been unaware of the diagnostic opportunities available.
Digital infrastructure is assisting in bridging knowledge and distance gaps, increasing the accessibility of quality, evidence-based information for doctors and patients alike, and providing the opportunity to access specialised testing regardless of location.
This opens up the potential to explore new areas where there is an unmet medical need and look for opportunities for precision medicine to be applied to prevent disease, personalise treatment and improve health outcomes.
The digitisation of healthcare alongside the remarkable advances in precision of next generation medical devices presents a truly exciting time for the med-tech sector and patients alike, with the combination offering the opportunity to improve the health of the global population.
By Dr Richard Lipscombe is the Managing Director of Proteomics International
