This blog post was written for Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science at IU School of Medicine, while I was a Strategic Digital Communications intern back in 2018-2019.
Innovation has become a significant focus in healthcare to improve quality, reduce harm, improve access, increase efficiency, eliminate waste, and lower costs. In fact, through technology and innovation, many hospitals and startups are coming up with remarkable ways to improve their offerings and in the process revolutionizing and transforming healthcare. The Department of Commerce Advisory Committee defines healthcare innovation as “a design, invention, or development of a new or altered service” (Haughom, 2014).
On taking a closer look as to what is being done to keep up with the revolving door of science and research, I found several healthcare innovations that are positively impacting healthcare. These include:
1. Artificial intelligence (AI): AI applications such as predictive analytics for patient monitoring has been providing significant financial savings. Apps that target hospitals and medical institutions include patient monitoring and transcribing notes for electronic health records (EHRs). To illustrate, the University of Chicago Medical Center is using predictive analytics for streamlining the movements in and out of the OR. By combining real-time data and an AI-powered algorithm, they have decreased turnover by 20%, or four minutes per room, thereby improving communication and workflows from all the moving parts in the operating room. Predictive analysis has helped the hospital in huge savings as well has led to more satisfied patients and staff.
2. Big Data: Getting adequate information to find the right treatment is a big challenge when it comes to creating new drugs and medicines for rare diseases. However, RDMD – a healthcare start-up company is trying to solve this problem by using AI to analyze data from medical records to find commonalities in rare disease cases. The company then sells that data to pharmaceutical companies so they can create cutting-edge treatments.
In yet another example, doctors and nurses are taking advantage of big data to provide personalized treatment options backed by statistics and current research. For example, Seattle Children’s Hospital is using big data analytics to provide faster and accurate diagnoses for its patients by scouring through thousands of data points about each patient in diagnosing the condition and finding treatment options instantly.
3. Cloud-Based Data Management Systems: Innovative healthcare systems are making headway with cloud-based data management systems. These programs combine patient data into a single system that can be accessed anywhere. So instead of keeping separate charts and methods for each department and patient, healthcare providers can get all the information they need about the patient in one place and easily share it with other members of the care team. ‘CloudCare’ for example, allows providers to access protected data in real time.
4. Robotics: Sophisticated robotics has opened doors for surgeries and treatments. At Carnegie Mellon University, for example, researchers have developed a miniature robot called ‘HeartLander’ that can perform heart therapy treatments. A surgeon makes a small incision and then navigates the robot to particular parts of the heart, where the robots stick to the organ and perform therapy.
5. Mobile Technology: According to Catherine Sturman of ‘Healthcare Global’ (2018), “Consumers have become accustomed to accessing their data through the use of various digital tools, where the use of mobile and tablet health apps has tripled from 13% in 2014 to 48% today” (para. 2). Researchers at the University of Chicago and the Ann & Robert Laurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for example, use an app called PreeMe + You to keep parents in constant touch with their premature newborn babies and their care team. Through the app, they can track their baby’s progress in real time and know what their baby is doing at every moment hence providing exceptional comfort for patents which cannot be at their baby’s side and helps them and the care team to stay on the same page.
Further, innovations such as Chatbot Florence an AI-powered chatbot can give answers and advice whenever patients need. Instead of waiting to talk to their doctor, patients can now ask Florence a question about symptoms or medication, and she’ll provide personalized responses. She can also remind users to take medication and track healthy habits.
6. Health Wearables – With a rise of diseases such as diabetes, consumers are turning towards health wearables that can monitor their glucose, heart rate, physical activity and sleep to gain a better understanding of their health conditions. Some of these are Pebble Time, to measure sleep; Pip, for getting rid of stress, AliveCor Heart Monitor for keeping heart healthy, Fitbit Surge for staying fit and energetic, Fitbit Aria for keeping track of your weight, etc. This kind of data can be analyzed by sophisticated algorithms to drive long-term diagnosis and support.
7. Virtual Reality and Patient Care: VRHealth, an Israeli health tech company based in Boston in partnership with Oculus has brought new health and wellness solutions such as VR glasses for example, during painful or stressful procedures to minimize stress. This innovative concept makes for a pleasant patient experience while creating a better environment for providers to perform the procedure safely. VR technology can also help clinics gather new patient information and share treatment instructions for patients after they go home.
8. Telehealth: Telemedicine is booming. Increasing accessibility and eradicating potential delays have given patients greater control, boosting patient satisfaction, and overall engagement.
9. 3D Printing: Healthcare providers are set to represent the second largest industry in 3D manufacturing. To illustrate, the FDA’s decision to release its first comprehensive framework advising manufacturers of 3D medical products highlight its growing impact where more than 100,000 knee replacement surgeries are completed annually using 3D printed, patient matching operational guidelines. This process has allowed for consultations between surgeons and patients to be strengthened, where patients can better understand the complexity of his or her specific needs.
10. Genomics: Consumer genetics and research companies are growing in popularity and scale. People are interested in learning about their genetic makeup. ‘23andMe’ a biotech company recently entered a four-year collaboration with GSK to develop new treatments using human genetics as a basis for discovery. Pharmaceutical companies are not only looking to establish procedures by analyzing human genetics but now they are looking to remove hereditary genes which pass diseases down generations.
The Center for Medical Genomics at IU School of Medicine has a mission to improve population health by facilitating biomedical research advancements with state of the art genomic technologies such as next-generation sequencing and microarray and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping instrumentation etc., for studying gene expression and genetics.
Such innovations are, therefore, completely changing healthcare, especially in terms of patient and provider experience.
At CHIIS, we consider ourselves as an innovative engine, where everyone strives to create a vibrant environment. Here ideas tend to blossom through innovation, knowledge transfer, and group-based problem-solving. Our vision is a healthcare system that meets the quadruple aim of better care, improved outcomes at lower costs with the enhanced patient and clinician experience. To learn more visit http://www.hii.iu.edu/education.
Citations
Innovation in Healthcare: Why It’s Needed and Where It’s Going. (2019, May 27). Retrieved from https://www.healthcatalyst.com/innovation-in-healthcare-why-needed-where-going
Morgan, B. (2019). Healthcare Innovation – 10 Recent Examples of Powerful Innovation in Healthcare. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/03/12/healthcare-innovation-10-recent-examples-of-powerful-innovation-in-healthcare/#597cb47b57dc
Sturman, C. (2018). Top 10 Healthcare Innovations for 2019. Healthcare Global. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareglobal.com/top-10/top-10-healthcare-innovations-2019
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