Over the past few years, the healthcare sector has been hugely impacted by the pandemic in more ways than one. Coupled with the rapid evolution of technology, it has also resulted in the accelerated digitisation of the healthcare industry and paved the way for innovative ways of delivering care through technologies.

There is constantly a huge focus on taking the pressure away from the NHS and public services, with 80% of healthcare providers planning to increase investment in technology and digital solutions over the next five years. The use of technology could ease the pressure and bring long-term benefits to both an overwhelmed healthcare industry and patients.

What role will Big Data play?

Big Data is the huge amount of information that comes from anything digitised and is used to analyse specific technologies. It has been revealed that globally, Big Data analytics in the healthcare market was valued over $29 Billion in 2020 and is estimated to reach over $59 Billion by 2028.

Applied to healthcare, it will use specific health data of a population (or of a particular individual) and potentially help to prevent epidemics, cure diseases and cut down costs etc. There is an increasing argument into why we need Big Data analytics in healthcare.

A big reason for this is rising healthcare costs which have led to an increasing need for Big Data analytics. Medical experts are becoming more centred on evidence-based outcomes as they rely more on research and clinical data. The NHS is in an ideal position to take advantage of data analytics because the personal data that can risk score every NHS patient already exists.

Self-serve in healthcare

AI in healthcare is in helping to make sense of the huge amount of unstructured data that is available for analysis offering self-serve functionality and automation. AI makes it possible to spot common patterns across huge datasets more effectively than traditional analytics processes, which will lead to more accurate predictions and better patient outcomes. AI is also involved in the augmentation and upskilling of human workers but also aid in other areas such as ‘healthcare chatbots’ and symptom checker platforms which can take the initial pressure and workload off a busy waiting list.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are the most widespread applications of big data in medicine and make patient information available instantly and securely and enables real-time access to patient-related data.

Electronic records are shared securely through systems and are available for providers from the public and private sectors, giving healthcare professionals the opportunity to implement changes over time with no paperwork. Medical record platforms have the potential to improve the overall quality of delivering better care, with Physician Perspective revealing more than 75% of healthcare professionals agreed that the implementation of EHRs can lead to better patient care. The implementation of these platforms is complex and challenging initially, but in the long term will be crucial to meet the demand of patients’ healthcare needs.

The future of UK Healthtech

We are all aware of the challenges the NHS and the healthcare industry have recently faced, and the mission is to create tech for good products that will benefit those in UK healthcare and make patients’ lives as easy as possible and improve a system in a rapidly changing market.

The pandemic and the rapid movement of data and technology is quickly changing the modern healthcare landscape with more access to data and patient safety. We will increasingly see the adoption of these technologies shape the future of medicine and how care is delivered.