Covid-19 forced the faster adoption of innovation by healthcare systems, which needed quick solutions to address increased hospital admissions and limited staff and resources. Innovations which would have otherwise taken a decade to adopt were rolled out in months.
New medical technology (MedTech) will play a vital role in years to come, helping healthcare systems tackle issues caused by Covid, such as the backlog of patients awaiting surgery. There are some clear trends likely to emerge in healthcare during 2023 and these pose important considerations for the MedTech industry.
Balancing telemedicine solutions
The pandemic triggered an increase in telemedicine solutions, with consultations largely moved to virtual platforms. This helped healthcare professionals remain safe but impacted healthcare delivery as many conditions simply cannot be identified via video or phone calls. Healthcare systems have realised that some patients struggle to get appointments or become frustrated with remote diagnostics.
2023 could mark the year that this trend begins to reverse. Telemedicine and re mote diagnostics will continue, but the future will focus on a hybrid model that balances convenience with the patient need for face-to-face meetings.
Hospital-to-home care
Remote monitoring devices and MedTech that can be self-applied and managed at home are likely to increase.
MedTech that allows patients to manage their conditions remotely reduces the need for frequent check-ups. The deployment of clinical grade monitoring equipment has the power to make care more efficient, providing treatment to patients only when they need it.
Remote treatment will also increase, enabling hospital-to-home care to support over-whelmed front-line staff. Patients can address issues in the home that previously would have required a hospital visit. For patients experiencing delays in surgery, this can keep patients comfortable while they await treatment.
New treatments
Healthcare services have traditionally been slow to adopt new treatments. Medical innovation needs to demonstrate it delivers better clinical outcomes to achieve adoption, but this requires time and funding.
With the development of the MedTech industry, treatments can demonstrate real patient benefits far quicker. MedTech solutions can speed up healing by double or more and, in some cases, identify and prevent conditions from developing altogether. The pandemic encouraged more frictionless adoption of MedTech, which will hopefully continue.
Driving sustainability
Healthcare will not be immune to the growing global climate crisis, and 2023 will see an emphasis on sustainable solutions that drive a more circular healthcare system.
MedTech companies are increasingly challenged to demonstrate compliance with high levels of sustainability as part of them becoming a preferred supplier. Clinicians will look to MedTech innovation which provide solutions that are good for the planet – not just those that do less harm.
Less supply chain vulnerability
The recent supply chain issues in China, combined with the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, has demonstrated that an uncertain world has global implications – and the healthcare industry is no exception. Healthcare systems need to deliver continuity of care in an unpredictable world, particularly ensuring drugs and MedTech solutions that help people heal are always available.
Another key trend we can expect to see in 2023 is that MedTech companies will be required to prove that they can ensure continuity of supply in all circumstances.
The author
Bernard Ross is CEO and founder of Sky Medical Technology (Sky). Sky’s multi-award-winning device – the geko™ device – is a wrist-watch-sized wearable applied to the knee delivering painless electrical impulses to stimulate blood flow, without the patient having to move. It has been globally adopted into healthcare systems to treat a range of medical conditions such as the prevention of blood clots.
Ross is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ senior experience at private and public board level across multiple industries.
