The 2020s mark the transition to digital-first healthcare. By 2023, 65% of patients worldwide will have accessed care through a digital front door as healthcare providers look for better ways to improve access, engagement, and experiences across all services.1

As such, the rapid adoption of virtual reality, 3D print, telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), microfluidics and other innovative technologies are enabling healthcare providers and patients to access their information conveniently and in real time. Such digital enabled technologies are supporting care coordination across the care continuum, connecting providers and patients, and bringing care to patients when and where it is needed. However, this rapid march to digital transformation has also shone a harsh spotlight on the digital divide in healthcare. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 1 in 8 Americans lives in poverty, with low-income individuals having lower rates of smartphone ownership (71%), home broadband access (59%), Internet use (82%), and basic digital literacy (53%).2, 3, 4

Listen in as Fran Ayalasomayajula, HP’s Head of Digital Strategies and Daniel Colling, Global Head of Healthcare Solutions and Practice talk about patient-first technology innovations ranging from VR, 3D Print and AI to Hospital at Home, Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Intelligent Care Coordination. In this episode, we’ll explore what happens when such technologies are developed and intentionally implemented with these communities in mind. This will be an engaging discussion on the new frontier of care delivery, one that brings all providers and patients together and has a positive impact on patient outcomes.

• Designing technology with simplicity and larger form factors is a critical component of digital strategy. The rapid adoption of telehealth still challenges the patient experience intended as over 50% of encounters are phone based in older adults that do not have a smart phone or connectivity to broad band.

•  Cutting edge technologies like VR, 3D Print, AI and Microfluidics that were not mainstream prior to the pandemic have been adopted at a rapid scale showing incredible results of tackling infectious diseases head-on, filling the shortage gap of PPE and personalized care and tackling new ways addressing pain management for chronic diseases and immersive education.

Sources:

1. IDC Directions 2021, Industry Overview, Healthcare digital transformation (DX) unleashed)

2. San Francisco Digital Equity. Digital Equity. San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. City and County of San Francisco. 2018. Accessed April 6, 2020. https://sfmohcd.org/digital-equity, Pew Research Center. Demographics of Mobile Device Ownership and Adoption in the United States. 2018. Accessed April 6, 2020. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/, and  Pew Research Center. Demographics of Internet and Home Broadband Usage in the United States. 2019. Accessed April 2, 2020. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/ 

3. Pew Research Center.  Mobile Fact Sheet. Accessed April 7, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/