How a pandemic transformed healthcare for the future

Healthcare professionals look back at what went right amidst the trials of 2020 and ahead to a new healthcare ecosystem. In this article, some of the industry’s top professionals from around the world share their perspectives on lessons learned in 2020: what worked, what didn’t, and what must be prioritized today to thrive tomorrow.

1. Improve operational efficiency with real-time visibility

New technology must help clinicians diagnose earlier, better, and faster-using devices that are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), so healthcare providers can achieve a more precise diagnosis. Virtual assistants saw greater adoption during the pandemic. Accessible via voice or text, mobile smart device, or computer, these technologies enabled physicians to pull up health data, skipping the process of looking through electronic medical records.

• Command center solutions that orchestrate real-time healthcare

With more patients, fewer open beds, and workflow chokepoints, hospitals turned to single a data infrastructure software known as “command centers,” featuring real-time decision support tools. Hospitals are seeing unprecedented orchestration of patient care activity in real-time, using apps on a central dashboard. Enabled by AI (including machine learning, NLP, computer vision, and other modes) tiles are built for specialized use cases related to patient flow, quality, risk management, and system optimization.

• On-device AI for data where, when, and how clinicians need it

Today, there are many powerful AI algorithms embedded into medical devices, such as magnetic resonance (MR), CT, X-ray, ultrasound and more, along with applications that can reduce bureaucratic tasks like paperwork, charting, and patient data capture and help make clinicians’ daily work more manageable.

• Leverage Technology to Reduce Burnout

When technology works for clinicians by surfacing actionable data on command, healthcare has a stronger chance to hold on to the people who keep the system running smoothly. Technology for MR and CT is leveraging AI to make imaging faster.

• Expand the Care Ecosystem with Virtual Care and Telemedicine

Remote monitoring solutions are fast emerging as a reliable and cost-effective technology to connect ICUs using a hub and spoke model. There are two types of remote monitoring, one connects remote hospitals to those in metropolitan city centers, and the other allows monitoring of ICU beds across the floors of a hospital building at a single location. It enables clinicians advanced consultation, care, and monitoring of their critically ill patients without having to physically transfer them to a super-specialty hospital.

• Improve Data Management to Strengthen Clinical Decisions

The effective use of data requires changing the way it is stored and used today. Experts say healthcare leaders must revamp the protocols and technologies that silo data and prevent information from informing action. Data integration strengthens clinical decision-making and patient outcomes by providing insights to healthcare professionals when they need it.

One solution is the implementation of cloud-based systems that can effectively and safely manage the exchange of relevant, real-time data to clinicians across the hospital enterprise, while anonymizing patient data when required. Such systems are being deployed to streamline data gathering, and boost patient privacy and data security.

Source: MedTech Dive Date: June 03, 2021

Implications for Costa Rica

The COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges to the health providers, but it also brought the valuable opportunity to modernize and improve the healthcare ecosystems, accelerating transformations and offering a glimpse into the future of healthcare. But as this article stands out, health systems can’t do this alone, so they must partner with industry experts with experience and proven track-record.

In this context, Costa Rica stands out among the leading countries in the world for digital, innovative, creative products and services with high added value. The Costa Rican offer in information technology considers a wide range of digital systems which stands out as one of the alternatives with the highest demand today.

The country’s geographic and cultural proximity to the US, an abundance of talent, and comparatively reasonable hiring costs are garnering attention. Furthermore, Costa Rica boasts a high-quality and established high-tech ecosystem. Indeed, the country is home to more than 450 ICT companies, 12% of which specialize in Industry 4.0 technologies including cyber-security, IoT, and AI.

Moreover, the 2019 Global Innovation Index ranked Costa Rica 7th out of 121 participating countries in ICT services exports for percent of total trade. Additionally, the country is the #1 exporter of high technology in Latin America and stands out as the #2 country in innovation in all of Latin America according to the Global Innovation Index (WIPO).

If you are interested in learning more about Costa Rica’s ICTs and world-class, please let us know at newyork@procomer.com