5 Healthcare Technology Trends CIOs Need To Know

March 1, 2023

With the accelerated use of technology, the need to provide high-quality, personalized care has never been greater in the healthcare industry. From increased investments in cybersecurity and cloud commuting to the emergence of AI (Artificial Intelligence), healthcare CIOs need to stay ahead of the latest trends to keep their organizations on the forefront of digital transformation. With that, we have compiled 5 technology trends that CIOs need to know that could significantly impact the healthcare industry now and in the future.

 

Privacy and Security

As healthcare organizations move toward a digital environment, they will continue to face unprecedented amounts of cyberattacks. Cybersecurity for healthcare focuses on preventing these attacks from unauthorized access and ensures the confidentiality and integrity of critical patient data. If the patient data is compromised, it could put patients’ lives at risk. Continued investment in cybersecurity remains an ongoing top priority for healthcare leadership.

 

Cloud Computing for Healthcare

The cloud is rapidly becoming the new place to move, store, and access data from off-site servers, as well as improve scalability and reduce cost. By leveraging remotely available data, physicians will be able to easily access clinical information and results in a single integrated platform without elevated concern for data security.

This migration to the cloud will accelerate further as new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) make their way into healthcare. In fact, cloud computing is already becoming a preferred technology for healthcare organizations and is expected to exponentially increase over the next several years.

 

Address Workforce Shortages with AI

Retirement, burnout, and employee retention continue to be the cause of staffing shortages in the healthcare industry. Given these challenges, the industry will see healthcare systems move further toward automation to fill in the gaps. Automation such as AI is a healthcare trend that could significantly impact the industry in the future.

This type of healthcare technology will play an important role in helping patients and physicians track checkups, stay current with treatments and recovery processes, and track changes in overall health. By leveraging AI, healthcare organizations can further improve patient care, increase efficiencies, and streamline workflows in healthcare.

 

Digital Upskilling

While automation can go a long way toward easing the burden of overtaxed medical staff and departments, healthcare organizations will also need to equip staff with the competences required to stay current with these new technologies. Upskilling – the process of acquiring new skills to future-proof staff – will drive the demand for specialized IT training to stay in pace with the healthcare digital transformation. With this shift, healthcare organizations should consider outsourcing such training to a qualified IT consultant.

Investing in outside resources such as an IT consultant can prove to be a tremendous asset to a healthcare organization. IT consultants have extensive technical knowledge and bring years of industry experience to the table. Being exposed to many different healthcare environments helps a consultant bring a fresh outside perspective to training and education.

IT consultants can also appoint and train super users whom other staff members can turn to when they have questions or need help. You can read more about the benefits of bringing on an IT consultant here. (Insert IT Consultant insight link here).

 

Wearable Technologies

Embracing wearable healthcare technologies is another trend quickly gaining traction in the healthcare industry as individuals take their health into their own hands. Continuous monitoring through wearable devices offers personalized, data-driven care where the physician and patient can take a proactive approach to a plan of care.

Wearable technologies are giving patients a sense of control over their health. For instance, a patient can set an alarm if they feel dizzy or lightheaded. They can also set a reminder to take their medication daily or create an alert on their phone if they are becoming dehydrated or need urgent treatment.

These features are extremely helpful as they give patients more confidence in their health care and more importantly, be better informed about what, when, and how treatment should be taken.

Additionally, wearable devices, mobile technologies, and medical wireless biosensors can be used for clinical trials to obtain real-time data when enrolled subjects are at home, potentially leading to better patient engagement and clinical outcomes.

 

Wrap Up

The healthcare landscape of how we treat and meet the needs of patients is changing. Along with this changing landscape, the role of the healthcare CIO is changing as well. Trends such as cybersecurity, wearable technologies, and AI, provide opportunities for healthcare CIOs to position their organizations to improve operational efficiencies and deliver better quality patient outcomes.

 

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