Do you know that the Indian healthcare segment is valued at 100 billion USD and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.9% to reach 280 billion USD by 2020?

Gone are the days when scheduling a doctor’s appointment was a big task. You would have to wait in anticipation for your reports to arrive after you’ve done a test. But, new trends in the digital healthcare sector definitely have the potential to change that.

Here are certain digital trends that are revolutionizing the healthcare sector.

1. Big data

It is predicted that big data is going to be a big thing in the healthcare sector in 2019. It’s no surprise that Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have become very prominent in hospitals. They help in enhancing patient care and storing medical data.

2. Artificial intelligence (AI)

A study conducted in 2018 discovered that AI has the ability to detect skin cancer faster and better than medical professionals. Although this experiment wasn’t conducted on patients, this still paves the way for something big—how AI can prevent life-altering diseases.

3. Blockchain

At times, when you have to change doctors for some reason, transferring medical records can be a tedious task. But, trends in the digital healthcare industry like blockchain can simplify this tedious task by providing doctors with a thorough medical history to give you the care you need.

4. Telemedicine

Using telecommunication and information technology to offer clinical healthcare from a distance is telemedicine. Telemedicine helps reduce the distance barrier when it comes to medical services and enhances access to it.

5. Augmented reality & virtual reality (AR & VR)

Maybe not as prominent as the others in this list, AR & VR are instrumental in aiding Dementia and Alzheimer patients retrieve memories and assisting doctors during critical surgeries.

6. Wearables

Medical wearables have been offering value when it comes to healthcare and has been finding suitable ways to diagnose, treat, monitor, and prevent diseases. Personalization is one of the biggest advantages that wearables have to offer in the health care sector.

7. Data Privacy

There are enormous data that is being generated in the healthcare industry. Thus, preserving these critical data is becoming more and more important. Data privacy has become one of the emerging and fast-growing trends in the digital healthcare sector. Allocating responsibilities to ensure that a patient’s data is only made available to the medical professionals involved with the patient and the next of kin.

They say that trends come and go. But if you go by the rising trends in the digital healthcare sector, they are here to stay in the long run. Although there are more trends in the digital healthcare industry, all of these trends are making a wave and introducing new possibilities to explore for medical practitioners. So, if you’re a medical practitioner then there’s no time like the present. Make a note of all these trends and implement it in your practice.