3 Medical Technology Trends to Keep an Eye on this Year
The medical technology industry is undergoing a seismic shift, with new technology changing the way patients are diagnosed, operated on and cared for—and fast. Here are three medical technology trends to keep an eye on this year.
Robotics
Ready to be operated on by a robot? Robot-assisted operations are already taking place across the country and only gaining popularity and support. While surgical robots like the da Vinci get the most press, robotics in healthcare extend beyond the operating room. They’re currently being used to disinfect rooms, take and transport samples, prepare and dispense medications, deliver linens and meals to hospital rooms, administer physical therapy and more.
Research firm Tractica estimates that healthcare robots—which include surgical, hospital and rehabilitation robots—will jump from $1.7 billion in revenue in 2016 to $2.8 billion by 2021. This year, we’ll be keeping an eye on how three things: how robotics are bettering the patient care process, how healthcare companies are adopting these new technologies and how this shift impacts jobs in the market.
Bioprinting and 3D Printing
Bioprinting follows the same model as 3D printing but instead of layering materials to build hardware, as BuiltIn explains, “bioprinters layer living cells and/or polymer gels to build tissue-like forms.” Recently, there have been two big breakthroughs in the industry: the successful bioprinting of collagen (a traditionally difficult material to create) and the making of a 3D-bioprinted mini-heart.
The innovations on the 3D printing side have been equally transformative, from 3D printing durable braces, orthotics, dental tools and more to building life-like tissue and organ models for medical training. Through these new products, companies are significantly simplifying the manufacturing process, introducing new and more durable building materials and offering more affordable patient care options.
While there are significant hurdles in both 3D printing and bioprinting, we’re excited to see how these innovations—and the regulations surrounding them—advance this year.Wearable Technology
While most of us associate wearable technology with fitness tracking apps like FitBit, the industry is rapidly expanding to include diagnostic, monitoring and therapeutic apps and devices including patches, heart straps, headbands, movement sensors, posture monitors, smart clothing and more. These new wearable technologies can track everything from vital signs to glucose levels to sleep patterns; remind patients to take medications or do their exercises; and even detect certain diseases.
These innovations in wearable technology are already having an enormous impact on patients’ health. For example, with wearable sensors, nurses can now monitor a patient’s vital signs remotely and respond if they see the patient is in distress. Patients with everything from heart disease to schizophrenia can now take “digital pills”—drugs with ingestible sensors—that ensure the regular usage of life-saving medication. Sensors that track a person’s gait are now being used to help diagnose Alzehemiers. The University of Michigan developed a device worn on a patient’s wrist that can detect cancer cells in the blood. Cyrcadia Health developed a patch to detect breast cancer.
As a company passionate about continually looking for ways to innovate and humanize patient care, we’re very excited about what’s coming out of this space. We can’t wait to see the apps and devices that hit the market this year and how they can help patients receive faster, better and more customized care.
Now that you know what to keep an eye on in the medical technology industry, want to explore the trends specifically impacting the Workers’ Comp industry this year? Check out the four Workers’ Comp trends we’re keeping an eye on in 2020.