Between rates of interest reaching their highest ranges in 15 years and the explosion of synthetic intelligence (AI), 2023 was a 12 months crammed with each challenges and alternatives for these of us within the well being care expertise {industry}. For higher or worse, a lot of those self same traits are following us into 2024. Obstacles such because the worsening clinician scarcity and improvements such because the adoption of AI will stay top-of-mind for drawback solvers and innovators within the well being care expertise house.
But the long run is vibrant for the 12 months forward, with quite a lot of thrilling technological developments on the horizon. Specialty areas resembling oncology, which have historically lagged with regards to digital adoption, are prime for transformation in 2024. Examples of traits that may revolutionize most cancers care embody:
Digital well being. The ever-growing complexity of most cancers care, the monetary toxicity that accompanies a most cancers prognosis, and the elevated curiosity in hybrid care fashions are all elements driving the elevated adoption of digital well being options in oncology. Regardless of being a pacesetter in therapeutic innovation, oncology lacks patient-friendly expertise instruments, which we’re all accustomed to from different industries resembling banking and retail. Digital care choices and distant affected person monitoring instruments can fill the void and function always-on monitoring companions between therapy visits so sufferers can get signs, questions, and considerations addressed shortly. Not solely does this enhance outcomes, but it surely reduces the anxiousness that sufferers expertise after they reside with excessive ranges of uncertainty. Digital platforms may also function an skilled useful resource of data, broaden entry to most cancers care and psychological well being care, and enhance the standard of life for individuals residing with most cancers. Finally, the adoption of those vital instruments will lay the groundwork for a extra materials change wherein even complicated specialty care might be delivered in a primarily digital method.
Generative AI. We’re all aware of the cautionary tales concerning AI in well being care, together with factual inaccuracies, safety concerns, and inherent biases being constructed into the expertise. Regardless of these roadblocks, entrepreneurs and scientists are working arduous to construct guardrails and guarantee there’s automated fact-checking constructed into generative AI options. Potential use circumstances embody scientific resolution assist, medical document summarization, patient-facing instructional supplies, and an array of improved administrative and scientific workflows for suppliers. With these modifications underway, the way forward for generative AI is promising and might revolutionize oncology and digital well being.
Interoperability. This doesn’t simply seek advice from level options speaking to one another and sharing knowledge – however particular person firms and organizations which are constructing fascinating and vital applied sciences. As we proceed to make progress with data sharing, it’s helpful for vital data to be distributed industry-wide so others can mimic and construct on it, with a shared purpose of optimizing scientific outcomes and lowering price. With the U.S. dealing with an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 main care and specialist physicians by 2034, leveraging expertise to make sure data is shared throughout organizations shall be important to minimizing data gaps from the clinician scarcity and sustaining progress within the well being care IT house. This sort of collaboration stays a core alternative to be addressed and expanded upon in 2024 and the years forward.
Actual-world knowledge. Actual-world knowledge has reached primetime, and there’s a fast-growing set of medicine coming to market the place real-world knowledge was used to assist perceive the context of the illness space and its therapy. A latest study by researchers at Yale used a real-world knowledge set to take a look at charges of systemic most cancers therapy in sufferers on the finish of life. Many people who would in any other case not choose to have aggressive therapy on the finish of their lives determined to obtain it. Analyzing real-world knowledge helps to grasp the predictors of therapy on the finish of life to start addressing this complicated subject. Past drug improvement, AI is beginning to have a significant affect in making this knowledge accessible by extracting text-based knowledge in an analyzable, high-quality method. In 2024, we’ll begin to see among the varied homeowners of proprietary real-world knowledge sources bringing their knowledge collectively to make the insights for the general oncology neighborhood deeper and extra significant.
Expertise can play a significant function in fields like oncology, which have historically been slower to undertake improvements. In 2024, we’ll see heightened curiosity in cancer-supportive care applications which are technology-enabled to deal with clinician shortages and evolving affected person wants and expectations. Digital well being, generative AI, interoperability, and real-world knowledge can remodel care supply and enhance affected person outcomes for not solely most cancers care, however the well being care {industry} at massive.
Andrew Norden is a doctor government.
