Digital healthcare is nothing new, but it has seen a surge in recent years, as technological advances are paving the way for digital healthcare in many locations. Some of the digital healthcare trends have evolved from simple electronic record keeping (which has been mandated since 2009), to using wearable tech gadgets during surgical procedures. Fitness trackers help people maintain a healthy lifestyle during their everyday activities, while tracking devices can keep up with elderly patients that have a tendency to wander away. The technological advances in digital healthcare are nothing short of revolutionary and amazing. Let’s take a look at some of the latest innovations in the industry.

Wearable Technology

Wearables are showing up in more healthcare environments as the technology progresses to make doctor/patient interactions a simpler and more effective process. Some wearables track body actions and functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and insulin levels. Those types of wearables can help patients stay healthy during their daily lives, while providing valuable data to the doctor during their normal checkups. If the doctor notices anything detrimental in the data, he can recommend treatment or additional monitoring based on that analysis.

There are also wearables that have been around for a while, such as hearing aids and insulin checkers. Digital technology has enhanced those wearables to make it easier for hearing aids to pick up conversations in noisy rooms, while diabetes trackers can log and analyze insulin levels to ensure that a healthy level is maintained.

Sensor Monitoring

The benefits of sensor monitoring are exceptional to healthcare, and the industry continues to develop innovative applications and uses for sensor tracking and monitoring. Some sensors track locations, which can be extremely useful when dealing with patients that have Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia. If a patient walks out the door and heads down the street, their location can be tracked in real-time via maps on PCs, laptops or even mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Other sensors use analytic data to determine if everything is okay with a patient or if something is wrong. For instance, if a patient doesn’t get out of bed or doesn’t perform certain activities such as turning on lights, a family member or caregiver can be alerted by the sensor to check in on them.

There are also necklaces that elderly people can wear around their neck. In case they fall or experience another incident and need help, the necklace has a button on it that can be pushed to alert caregivers that help is needed. That may be nothing new, but the latest systems use gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers that track the actions of the patient. If the patient falls, it’s possible they may be too hurt to push the button on the necklace, so the new system sends alerts even if the patient can’t execute the alert on their own.

What to look for in the future

As you can see, the latest digital healthcare technologies are centered on keeping patient’s healthy and getting them help when they need it most. But what’s coming up in the future of digital healthcare technologies? Digital health clinics are making a huge showing, as many patients are unable to make it to the doctor every time they need to go. With digital health clinics, patients can receive diagnosis and care without ever leaving their home. Predictive analytics and telemedicine are making huge strides as well, which will help provide healthcare when and where it’s needed most.