The rise of technology and e-commerce has revolutionised the way we shop, including how we purchase healthcare products. ePharmacy, or online pharmacies, have been on the rise for the past few years, providing customers with a convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies. The United States of America, Germany and China are set to hold 34.6 per cent, 6.3 per cent, and 6.6 per cent shares of the global market, respectively in 2023. Despite its potential, ePharmacy has not yet attained its full potential. Here is why:

Lack of awareness

One of the biggest challenges faced by ePharmacy is the lack of awareness among consumers. Many people are not aware of the existence of online pharmacies and are more comfortable with the traditional way of purchasing medicines.

Regulatory barriers

The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated, and ePharmacy is no exception. The lack of clear guidelines and regulations makes it difficult for ePharmacies to operate efficiently. In some countries, the regulatory framework for ePharmacies is not well-established, which creates uncertainty and ambiguity for businesses.

Logistics challenges

Another significant challenge faced by ePharmacies is logistics. Delivering medicines on time, handling returns, and ensuring quality control can be difficult, especially when shipping perishable items like medicines. In addition, ePharmacies may face restrictions on the type and quantity of medicines that can be delivered, depending on the destination country’s regulations. Moreover, the transportation and storage of some medicines require specialised handling and equipment, which may not be available in all areas.

Competition from traditional pharmacies

Traditional pharmacies have been around for a long time and have built trust with customers over time. They have a physical presence, and customers can speak with a pharmacist or staff to clarify their doubts. Moreover, traditional pharmacies often have the advantage of location, making it easier for customers to access medicines quickly.

Technical glitches

Technical glitches and cyber-security issues also pose a major challenge for ePharmacies. Online pharmacies are vulnerable to hacking, data theft, and other cyber-attacks, which can compromise the privacy and security of patients’ personal and financial information.

Limited availability

ePharmacies often have limited availability and may not be able to cater to all areas or regions. This can limit the reach of ePharmacies and prevent people living in remote or underserved areas from accessing the medicines they need.

Inadequate payment options

Another challenge faced by ePharmacies is the limited number of payment options available to patients. Many ePharmacies only accept credit or debit card payments, which can be inconvenient for people who do not have access to these payment methods.

In all of these, opportunities for the industry abound ahead.

KPMG India reports that the global ePharmacy market was valued at US$0.8 billion in 2020, out of which prescription drugs occupied 68 per cent revenue share and over the counter (OTC) drugs occupied 32 per cent revenue share.

Over-the-counter product segments are expected to hold a market segment of about 71.4 per cent in 2023. As customers become more aware of the treatment for primary diseases, the need for OTC will increase. Sales in the ePharmacy industry will be driven by the availability, affordability and accessibility of OTCs.

ePharmacies need to address the highlighted challenges to establish trust and gain wider acceptance among customers. The regulatory framework needs to be established to ensure the quality and safety of medicines sold online. However, to attain their full potential, ePharmacies need to overcome these hurdles by implementing proper regulations, enhancing security measures, and expanding their reach and payment options.

Until these challenges are overcome, ePharmacy will continue to face limitations in its growth and impact on the healthcare industry.

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Back to Technology

The healthcare industry has been welcoming digital transformation globally. This pace of digital technology adoption in healthcare systems has witnessed further amplification with the pandemic in recent times.

Their integration is unfolding several benefits for patients and clinicians alike. After all, digi-health tools empower patients to take responsibility for their health and assist clinicians in delivering excellent treatment. They present many benefits, like simplifying, anticipating, and averting life-threatening situations through timely actions. When Mercy Hospital introduced virtual healthcare almost a decade ago, it successfully reduced hospitalisations by nearly 50 per cent, reflecting the value of digitally transforming healthcare.

Despite these apparent benefits, digitisation in healthcare comes with its challenges. A key one is causing burnout among healthcare providers.

The Cognition Crisis with digi-health tools

As neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley puts it, excess screen time and corresponding information overload often result in a cognition crisis with digital fatigue and stress as a consequence. This is true for healthcare professionals with digitised healthcare systems.

Digital systems, by design, fuel an enormous flow of data from the patient, making it difficult for the healthcare system to balance patients and administration efficiently. Consequently, healthcare professionals often spend more time on data entry than treating patients. In addition, they are not even always prepared or well-trained in using these methods, adding to the complication. As a result, there is often widespread digital fatigue that counterproductively results in less than the best possible care.

According to several surveys, 31.6 per cent of physicians regularly report symptoms of burnout, while more than half say those symptoms have increased since the onset of the current public health crisis.

Examining the ground reality

Contrary to layman’s perception, digital burnout among healthcare professionals is not a COVID-led phenomenon that recently fuelled rapid digitisation. Even before the pandemic, it was prevalent, with over 60 per cent of physicians reporting at least one symptom of burnout. COVID-19 only aggregated it.

Today, after facing the worst of the pandemic, clinicians still find themselves swamped and unable to keep up with digital innovations. The “why” behind this becomes apparent in the words of Ashwini Zenooz, Chief Medical Office and General Manager, Salesforce Inc:

“…Most of the technology we use in provider systems, like EHRs, did not have front-line workers and clinicians at the table when developing these workflows.”

The solution to winning over digital fatigue

Defeating digital fatigue in healthcare systems is possible by keeping the human aspect central to healthcare innovations. Some actionable ways to that end include:

Involving clinicians closely when designing digital health interventions: Unless healthcare professionals have a say in how using a particular technology will impact their routine healthcare work, it can be tough to defeat digital fatigue.

This is particularly important when designing digital alternatives for use cases in situations like patient monitoring. For example, suppose the tool only allows the recording of medical parameters, not qualitative information, like the patient looking pale. In that case, it can get cumbersome for clinicians to note and remember this important information separately.

Benchmarking solid safety thresholds: The use of technology in healthcare is not always fail-safe. Sometimes, the technology raises false alarms by design, compelling clinicians to be over-alert even when the situation doesn’t demand it. Unfortunately, this also causes immense fatigue and stress among healthcare workers, hampering their calm. With proper safety guidelines in the design of digital health tools, healthcare practitioners can overcome this problem and accept technology adoption universally.

Following patient-centric approaches: Virtual care must be designed around patient usage and preferences. Without involving the patient opinions, solutions cannot support them while optimising administrative workflow for clinicians. Mutual cooperation between both is necessary for success and ease.

Aiding care teams: Reimagining the composition of care teams also helps. For example, by supporting medical staff with resources like data interpreters and scribes, clinicians can get additional bandwidth to focus on treatments and their patients. This can reduce their digital fatigue significantly.

Conclusion

Digital transformation in healthcare is a welcome change to bring about unthinkable developments and improvements in how patient care is delivered. Yet, despite widespread technological progress, there are teething troubles to encounter with digital healthcare tools today.

Digital fatigue is a key one that impacts the well-being of the carers and the quality of care they can deliver. Thus, digi-health tool providers need to seriously consider ways to combat it to ensure its widespread use over the long term along with the deepening of its benefits.

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This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

Back to Management

Remote patient monitoring (RPM), which involves using mobile devices to check on patients’ vital signs while at home, as well as in-person or virtual visits from medical professionals, has seen a rise in adoption.

The market value of remote patient monitoring devices in 2021 was US$1.45 billion and is now expected to reach US$4.07 billion by 2030 at an 8.74 per cent CAGR.

Remote patient monitoring benefits for home health

RPM can significantly advance the possibilities of home healthcare. Home care agencies can monitor what is happening in the home with the help of the remote patient management application. This allows them to use their resources more effectively and focus on the patients who genuinely require care on a particular day, but it can also save costs.

RPM technology allows caregivers to keep an eye on patients from remote locations, which improves the time spent on the patient/clinician connection.

The decrease in unnecessary visits to a hospital or clinic is another advantage of this improvement in patient-clinician communication. Visits only occur when necessary because contact between patients and caregivers is already constant and effective.

Future trends

When patients attend a healthcare centre, their primary goals are to recover and return home. The pandemic provided a catalyst to reimagine the future of Care at Home services, notably in the US.

Based on a survey of physicians who primarily serve Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) and Medicare Advantage (M.A.) patients, up to US$265 billion in care services (representing up to 25 per cent of the total cost of care) for Medicare FFS and M.A. beneficiaries can be moved to the home by 2025 without reducing quality or access. In addition, Care at Home might benefit payers, medical facilities, physician organisations, Care at Home suppliers, I.T. firms, and investors. It may also enhance the standard of care for patients.

Factors affecting the adoption of remote patient monitoring

A number of variables may influence how quickly services increase care at home. Stakeholders must assess which services can be provided at the patient’s home to address their physical, behavioural, and social needs effectively. Care-at-home providers, tech firms, and investors could contribute by fostering innovation.

Second, the economic sustainability of Care at Home may affect uptake. Because of the possibilities for lower (or non-existent) payment for care if offered at home instead of in a more expensive venue, several healthcare facilities and physician groups have been less motivated to seek Care at Home for their patients. Adoption can be boosted by new payment innovations or reimbursement policies (such as telehealth payment parity or value-based payment plans).

Third, medical knowledge, views, and skills might have a role. Doctors might study case studies and outcomes of how high-quality care can be provided at home, learn about the prospects of care at home, and get instructions on how to carry out the interventions. To raise awareness and give clinicians training and education, payers may have a significant impact.

The final consideration is how patients feel about Care at Home. Patients can be informed of their home care alternatives and express a preference for that type of treatment versus facility-based care. Payers could fund particular services to encourage uptake, and clinicians could advocate Care at Home to patients when clinically appropriate.

How to accelerate growth

Payers, healthcare facilities, and physician organisations, as well as Care at Home providers, technology companies, and investors, could consider a variety of potential activities to help stimulate the adoption of Care at Home services:

Payers

• Create a Care at Home strategy with use cases that are value-based. This might occur when higher revenue and lower medical expenses offset the possibility of stimulated demand and service reimbursement.
• Benefits can be redesigned to support enabling services and the direct provision of care at home (for example, remote monitoring, care management, social support, or assistance with daily living).
• Make providers aware of the technology available for Care at Home and train and educate them about their usage and benefit.
• Create a network of high-quality Care at Home providers, technology firms, and neighbourhood-based businesses (like food banks) that can assist Care at Home.
• Expand reimbursement policies (such as reimbursement for Care at Home at parity with regular reimbursement) or payment innovation models (like shared savings on the total cost of care) to motivate providers to support Care at Home.
• Adopt utilisation-management policies (such as deciding on a suitable discharge location as part of transition-of-care programmes) to make it easier to transfer care from other locations to the home when it is medically necessary.
• Utilise care management to educate members about care at-home possibilities.

Healthcare facilities and physician groups

• Develop a Care at Home plan that is value-based and includes use cases where the economics are good, and patients gain from higher-quality, easier-to-access care.
• Create clinical Care at Home models for patients (in-home acute care, primary and speciality telehealth care, or in-home infusion services).
• To deliver Care at Home or supporting services (such as remote monitoring, care management, social support, or assistance with daily living), forge relationships with other service providers or technology firms, or develop internal skills.
• Agree with payers to guarantee that payments for Care at Home services are made economically sustainable.
• Create analytics based on the use cases to detect patients who would benefit from care at home (for example, high-risk patients with chronic disorders who can benefit from more support at home to prevent exacerbations).

Care at-home providers, technology companies, and investors

• Create business cases or investment theses for home care (for example, primary telehealth care, in-home dialysis, and remote monitoring). Estimate market potential, assess the market landscape, and comprehend how the industry may evolve.
• Opportunities must be evaluated, with providers and technology businesses determining how to construct, buy, or collaborate for skills and investors evaluating possible assets.
• Implement these strategies, with providers and technology businesses developing new offerings in these markets and investors investing in market assets.

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This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

Back to Technology

Radiology in today’s world has become so vital that doctors cannot manage patients without diagnostic imaging. While the physical exam has not changed much in 300 years, imaging has changed dramatically in just a quarter century. In fact, it can be said that diagnostic imaging has revolutionised medicine and is at its core today.

Doctors often rely on radiology test results to determine patients’ diagnosis and the course of their treatments. It has clearly transformed patient care to the extent that many refer to the CT scanner, or computerised tomography as “truth”. The history of radiology dates back to 1885 with the discovery of X-rays by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Subsequently, in 1946, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is discovered independently by Edward Purcell and Felix Bloch. The invention of the portable ultrasound machine was made by Ian Donald in 1955 together with Tom Brown that allowed healthcare providers to visualise a foetus in utero and eventually become a routine procedure in pregnancy as a means of monitoring the development and health of the foetus.

The first PET scan is built by James Robertson in 1961, which is a valuable research tool to learn and enhance our knowledge of the normal human brain, heart function and support drug development. In 1972, Godfrey Hounsfield developed the first clinical prototype of CT scanner wherein a rotating X-ray tube and a row of detectors placed in a gantry produces cross-sectional images of a body. The PET-CT scanner, attributed to David Townsend and Ronald Nutt, is named by TIME magazine as the medical invention of the year in 2000. Talking about its uses and applicability, interventional radiology (IR) is a very recent addition to medicine. It relies on the use of radiological image guidance to precisely target therapy.

Most IR treatments are minimally invasive alternatives to open and laparoscopic surgery. Angiography and biopsy are examples of diagnosis IR and balloon angioplasty/stent, embolisation and cholecystectomy are few examples of therapeutic IR. Another crucial use of radiation, which is widely used is for treating and detecting cancer. In many cases, early diagnosis can save lives. At least half of all cancer patients at some point receive radiation therapy to treat their condition.

Radiation therapy may be used to treat both benign and malignant tumours. It uses targeted energy to destroy cancer cells, shrink tumours and/or alleviate certain cancer-related symptoms. Truly, radiology has come a long way since its inception from humbling image production with glass photographic plates to high-resolution digital modalities that harness cutting-edge technologies, medical imaging has transformed medicine and continues to revolutionise patient care delivery.

Thanks to these technological advances, radiology-tailored software solutions like Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), teleradiology, and now Imaging EMRs are the gold standard of 21st-century medicine and healthcare administration.

Knowledge and experiences, showcase and learn about the latest innovation that is changing the way healthcare is perceived, and create partnerships to preserve the welfare of humankind while stabilising economic interests.  Arab Health sets itself apart this year with a focus on key product markets that are expected to gain traction in the months ahead.

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This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.

Back to Clinical

Healthcare is all set to be democratised and pave the way for accessibility, according to Reenita Das, Healthcare and Life Sciences Partner, Senior Vice President, and the first woman Partner at Frost and Sullivan. Das, who drives the global research vision and strategy for the firm alongside commercial opportunities within the healthcare practice, has been leading a project on what healthcare would look like in the year 2050 and she says it is promising, to say the least.

“By 2050, we are going to see a world where it is going to be commoditised, democratised, and consumerised,” she says.

Addressing the current challenges in the industry, she says that professionals in healthcare need to focus on the keywords ‘precision medicine’ and ‘precision diagnostics’ and explore strategies to implement them.

“We do not practice healthcare, but work on what we call sick care, in my view. There are several tools and technologies that are at play to help us move the dial from sick care to healthcare and make it a more precise, accurate industry. Over the last few years, I have been working on what healthcare will look like in 2050 and advising clients across the world in terms of what they need to be doing to get there. Today, healthcare is not democratised and access to healthcare is a big issue. It is far from being consumerised. Although with COVID, we saw some traces of consumerism coming in terms of virtual care, it is not commoditised,” she highlights.

Reenita Das

So, what is the world of healthcare going to look like by 2050? Das says that microchips implanted in the body or brain and connected to an application would wake individuals up, replacing the need for alarm clocks.

“And as you wake up, you would have the automation to start the coffee machine, catch the news of the day, and view your calendar and appointments all displayed on a screen in front of your bed. These may be possible through the implant, which may be ocular or neurological,” adds Das.

Personalised healthcare in the future

Das predicts that mobile phone would no longer be used to support point-of-care testing. Instead, a full-body MRI machine installed in the shower would collect all the data for the day that you need to track your vitals. The toilet will act as a smart device to analyse waste material almost instantaneously. These data would be collected on a holistic level and fed into a holographic dashboard displayed on a smart glass mirror placed in the bathroom. The data can also be seamlessly shared with the individual’s dedicated care providers.

This eliminates the need for individuals to visit a hospital facility or wait for results from a laboratory. “We do not have to drive, park and waste time; everything is going to be seamless. We are going to receive information proactively and artificial intelligence is going to examine that by analysing our genomics with the results and then provide us with advice. This is where we are heading today. We may not see this happening right now, but there are pockets of technology that are being collected and will enable us to receive care anywhere, any place, and at any given time,” she says.

At night when an individual goes to sleep, their oxygen level and tiredness would be captured. Their sleep will be programmed, and as the individual look at their VR headset, they would go into meditation and fall asleep.

“This is going to be the world of healthcare in the future. The question for all those active in the industry, namely those who work in the laboratory as well as innovative tech and product development, is: what do you want to do in this new world in the next 30 years? Do you want to be leading it? Or do you want to sit back and wait for these things to happen to us?”

Das urges healthcare investors and providers to take initiative, collaborate and continue to foster ideas and concepts to reel the new era of healthcare.

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Back to Laboratory

China's COVID-19 policy went through some extraordinary developments in 2022. In December, the Chinese government made a u-turn by abandoning its zero-COVID policy and the related restrictions that had been in place for more than two years since the pandemic outbreak. Instantly, infections surged and patients overwhelmed China’s health systems. Per China’s Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the tsunami of COVID-19 infections in China peaked in late December 2022, with 80 per cent of the country’s population infected by mid-January. The country is joining other countries in the post-pandemic era.

With the impact of the pandemic receding, the Chinese government is quickly shifting its priority to economic recovery. The following are Omdia’s highlights regarding the mix of upsides and downsides in China’s post-pandemic medtech market outlook.

Economic rebound: The end of the zero-COVID policy immediately influenced the economy, causing economic activities to rebound in January 2023.

China’s manufacturing production returned to growth and the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China shows that the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), an index of the prevailing direction of economic trends in manufacturing and service sectors, rose to 50.1 in January, above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China’s recent reopening has paved the way for a faster-than-expected recovery. Hence, the IMF has revised China's growth outlook for 2023 sharply higher from 4.4 per cent in its October forecast to 5.2 per cent.

Pent-up demand: Pent-up demand also could fuel economic growth via consumption in China and boost health-related spending, which was restrained owing to the pandemic. Per the central bank of China, household savings increased by ¥17.84tn (US$2.65tn) in 2022 compared with 2021.

Under COVID-19 restrictions, people reduced their hospital visits and postponed elective surgery procedures to avoid infections. Omdia expects hospital visits to rebound strongly in 2023 thanks to the end of COVID-19–related restrictions, which will spur the growth of the medical device market.

Demographics: The ageing population and rising expectations for quality of life are the biggest factors driving the increasing demand for medical devices.

Per the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the country’s elderly population (over 60 in age) reached 280 million by 2022, an increase of 12.6 million compared with 2021. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says that China is on the cusp of being classified as an aged society, with 19.8 per cent of its population aged over 60.

Their high numbers will drive demand for a diversity of healthcare and medical devices, including nursing and rehabilitation devices. There will also be a shift from family care to social care owing to the low birth rate.

Health systems are still under-resourced: The Chinese government has been investing in its medical infrastructure even before the pandemic. However, its health systems are still underinvested for a 1.4 billion population (nearly double the size of Europe’s population). China’s health systems are still under-resourced by key measurements, including the number of hospital beds, doctors, and capital equipment, which are well below the global standard.

The country’s health spending share of its GDP also lags. In 2021, 6.6 per cent of China’s GDP was spent on healthcare compared with 9 per cent of the global average.

Healthcare is a pressing political task for the Chinese government to care for an ageing population with higher life quality expectations. Omdia projects the Chinese government will continue to invest in the health sector with annual health spending growth at a CAGR of more than 10 per cent into 2025.

Rising labour costs: The latest population statistics caught widespread attention. It shows that China had its first decline in population in six decades. The workforce (the 16–60 age group) has been shrinking since 2011. In 2022, the 16–60 age group declined to 875 million, a drop of 6.7 million over 2021. Meanwhile, manufacturing jobs are becoming increasingly unattractive to young people who prefer to work in service sectors or the office. Worker shortages have been a pain for many factories in China.

Driven by the labour shortage, labour costs have significantly increased over the years in China. Compared with many developing countries — such as India, Mexico, and Vietnam—China is no longer considered a low-wage country.

Many companies are considering exiting China, particularly those whose products are labour-intensive. In reality, making a decision might be more complex considering productivity, supply chains, and capacity for high output. However, Omdia believes that leaving China would inevitably be a plausible option for some companies.

The downward pressure of price and margin: Volume-based purchases are expanding in scope. Based on the latest developments, private hospitals have joined volume-based bidding. Huge price cuts significantly reduce profit.

The rise in competition among Chinese vendors also contributes to the downward price pressure, particularly in the low-end segments. Also, Chinese vendors are moving up the value chain over time, which increases competition in the mid to high-end segments.

The profitability issue puts manufacturers in a dilemma of choosing between volume and margin.

Economic Outlook

The IMF’s latest World Economy Outlook projects 5.2 per cent and 4.5 per cent year-over-year (YoY) economic growth in China for 2023 and 2024, respectively. This growth projection is still much higher than the growth projection for developed countries and the global average. However, the downward economic growth trendline might be difficult to reverse owing to demographic changes, as mentioned earlier, and political reasons (both geopolitics and domestic politics).

Since December, the government has been aggressively pushing for economic growth and opening to foreign investors. The growth target will not be revealed until the National People’s Congress convenes in March 2023. However, several key provinces and cities in China have announced their growth targets of above 5 per cent for 2023. How the economy turns out largely depends on how effectively and quickly the government implements its growth strategy and regains foreign investor and domestic business confidence.

Omdia Insight

Rising labour costs, decreased margins, and geopolitical factors may cause complexities for medtech companies playing in China.

However, the fast growth of China’s medtech market is largely underpinned by growing demand, underinvested health systems, and continued government investment. On top of that, modernisation and digitalisation will become a theme in China’s health system upgrades, fueling the growth of the Chinese medtech market. Omdia observes that the balance of factors remains tilted toward the upsides. China will remain an attractive market in the foreseeable future for many medtech companies.

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Back to Management

Toward the end of January 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said COVID-19 continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern. However, it also said the pandemic is probably at a transition point.

The virus is still making waves, periodically surging across Europe. It is now compounded with a seasonal spike in the flu and respiratory syncytial viruses, creating a ‘Tripledemic.’ More people are landing in hospitals for testing, treatment, and care. The WHO in Europe and the European Commission have previously alerted governments and healthcare systems to be prepared.

To make matters worse, Europe’s ongoing healthcare labour challenge means staff will be spread even more thinly, caring for more patients during this triple threat. About two-thirds of clinicians and nearly 70 per cent of decision-makers agree that physicians and caregivers are overextended during their shifts. Staff is beginning to vote with their feet. Strikes are happening across Europe with walkouts seen in the UK and France to cite two examples.

Given the environment, it is not surprising that healthcare workers are leaving the field in droves across the globe. McKinsey’s global nursing survey revealed that in five out of seven countries surveyed, between 20 to 38 per cent of respondents said they wanted to leave their current direct-patient-care role. In another report, the WHO found that an ageing workforce among doctors posed a serious risk to countries in Europe and central Asia, along with staff shortages as well as recruitment and retention problems amongst others.

Nurses have carried the brunt of the burden, burning out, walking out, or retiring. Retaining nurses, doctors and healthcare staff is always crucial, but it is amplified in times of crisis, such as the threefold viral onslaught Europe and much of the world are currently facing. The industry needs to do better, but how?

Keep turning to technology solutions

The use of technology solutions in healthcare accelerated during the pandemic. And it is moving forward, bringing along the lessons learned. Technology creates the capacity to optimise staff, increase efficiency and minimise errors.

Take mobility solutions; with a secure multi-purpose mobile device, it is possible for staff to access patient data from anywhere. This eliminates the need for nurses to run to and from stations, minimising the risk of human error and ultimately making time at the patient bedside more efficient. Clinicians agree, with eight in 10 saying clinical mobility increases their workflow accuracy and precision, reduces preventable errors and raises the focus on patient care and attentiveness.

A mobile device, like a healthcare tablet or handheld computer, lets caregivers monitor patient vitals in real time or be alerted to issues so they can make the right decision and take the right action in the moment. It literally optimises patient care in the palm of caregivers’ hands.

Improving connectivity between staff is another key benefit technology brings. One of the most effective tools is a unified communication platform — software application that augments mobile devices like mobile computers and tablets with the features and functions of many different apps including texting, calling, task and workforce management.

The connection provides better collaboration, streamlines time management and shift handovers, and ensures optimal care in tests, samples, medications and records. In fact, most healthcare executives (87 per cent) agree patient care would improve if nurses, clinicians and non-clinical healthcare workers had collaboration tools and healthcare apps.

Additionally, location solutions like radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers track, trace and monitor the status of patients, staff and assets such as medical equipment, blood samples or medications throughout the hospital, minimising lost items, errors and time. About four in 10 healthcare executives say they currently use location technologies across hospitals. Nearly all (98 per cent) say they plan to use such solutions in the next five years to track patient flow, medication, equipment and staff operational efficiency.

Technology frees up capacity for nurses, doctors and staff. By alleviating administrative burdens while improving communication and collaboration, they have more time to focus on what matters most — caring for patients. The ability to improve the working environment can reduce burnout and ultimately enhance positive patient outcomes. Nurses want to provide care in great workplaces where they can do their best work. But they need breaks to rest, eat, talk with colleagues, and catch up on phone calls and messages. Burnout is negatively impacting nurse retention.

Moving ahead with AI and Big Data

Beyond mobility and communication technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is a growing part of the healthcare ecosystem. There are a growing number of healthcare apps available that are powered by AI. They feature mental health support, the ability to check and record weight and blood pressure, use video to report symptoms, create health recommendations, provide nutritional insights, and much more. These apps also give healthcare professionals insights into patients’ daily patterns and needs, enabling better guidance for staying healthy.

We can also expect to see new AI applications giving healthcare professionals alternative training options with naturalistic simulations, insights into diagnosis through cognitive technologies, early disease detection via screening reviews, patient movement alerts through wearables and analytics about potential treatment.

The transformational power of technology

The pandemic disrupted the healthcare model. It accelerated the role technology plays in healthcare by proving its ability to create capacity. Let us continue learning from and building on those lessons. While technology may not be able to solve all the problems within the healthcare ecosystem, it does make important and needed improvements for doctors, nurses, and ultimately the patients in their care. 

Thomas Duparque is a Healthcare Specialist EMEA at Zebra Technologies.

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Back to Technology

The need for accessible healthcare and point-of-care diagnostics became painfully apparent with the onset of COVID-19. Presently coupled with sustainability, lower cost and innovation, solutions within healthcare must meet these higher-than-ever expectations.

Alveo Technologies is re-envisioning the capabilities of molecular diagnostics on its mission to enable earlier detection of pathogens at the point of need. The be.well™ platform may appear palm-sized but it packs a punch by responding to some of the most pressing demands of the healthcare industry.

Sleek and eco-friendly, the be.well™ platform is described as a simple solution that facilitates access to molecular diagnostics. It was recently crowned the winner of the Labpreneur, the first-ever competition of its kind held at Medlab Middle East 2023 that gives medical laboratory start-ups an opportunity to showcase groundbreaking ideas on a global platform.

“Alveo’s leadership team strives to ensure that the planet can leverage the technology we have developed. A molecular-based platform that can test at the point of need is an innovation seemingly from the future. It moves testing away from a centralised lab and the doctor’s office and makes it available over the counter, at home, or even on a farm to test animals and crops. Given that approach, we can make this platform universally accessible, because of the low cost to produce. It is handheld, rugged, and portable and can be taken everywhere. Innovation like this can not only improve healthcare systems but also help to address the impending food crisis and environmental concerns,” explains Shaun Holt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alveo Technologies.

Circling back to the accessibility of healthcare solutions, the pandemic witnessed the struggle low- and middle-income countries experienced when accessing diagnostic tests. It became evident that the distribution of a solution that is cost-effective while being sustainable was critical.

This generated a need for portable and rechargeable products that can easily be connected to a mobile device or mobile app and display results to make testing a possibility for everyone.

“There is an unmet need for molecular testing at the point of need; there are remote towns all over the world and regions that are hard to reach. For low-income nations, this technology has the potential to make an impact on the lives of their people. It is not just about mass healthcare systems, it is about taking this everywhere, where it is needed the most,” says Holt.

So, how does the technology work?

At present, current testing platforms often require a choice between ease of use, potentially sacrificing accuracy, or expensive medical grade performance, according to Erik Tyrrell-Knott, Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Alveo Technologies.

“What we have refined in the last seven years is LAMP [Loop-mediated isothermal amplification] technology, which is a seismic innovation in Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology (NAAT), and a disruptive offering to say the least given the low cost, yet high accuracy. “We have 29 issued patents worldwide and over 40 pending applications on our approach to LAMP detection that allows us to use a very simple, rechargeable instrument at the point of need,” he says.

When it comes to understanding the technicalities of the be.well™ platform, it boils down to simplifying innovation. Compared to PCR testing, which requires thermal cycling between heat and cold to multiply pathogens, Alveo Technologies’ solution allows the amplification to take place at a constant temperature.

In addition to this, Alveo Technologies’ patented approach to implementing LAMP controls costs and allows for a rugged testing process.

Traditionally, LAMP often requires costly sensors for observation external to the sample well in order to detect the pathogen of interest. This approach requires expensive optics that increase cost and environmental waste.

“Our founder discovered that a positive molecular reaction impedes electrical current. So, instead of requiring expensive optics outside of the well, we have little electrical nodes inside the sample firing every fifteenth of a second. If the pathogen is present, it is going to impede that electrical current from returning a positive result. Also compelling and differentiating is the expansive multiplexing of our test platform. Our cartridge has eight separate sample wells, allowing for the testing of up to seven different samples at the same time, in the same cartridge (i.e., Flu, COVID-19 and RSV). It takes the promise of LAMP and makes it more robust, accessible, less expensive, and environmentally friendly,” explains Tyrrell-Knott.

The be.well platform by Alveo Technologies
 

Establishing long-term partnerships

In January 2023, Alveo announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (Export Barbados (BIDC)) to co-develop its novel molecular sensing platform, while contributing to the growth of the life sciences industry in the Caribbean nation.

“We want to partner with a wide range of stakeholders such as academics, institutions, investors, industry experts, non-profits, and more, to make the be.well™ platform universally accessible. Our aim is not to fully capitalise on the technology; it really is about bringing partners onto the platform, and enabling true collaboration,” Holt observes.

They are making fast progress expanding their partner ecosystem thanks in part to their recent introduction to the world-renowned Fraunhofer Institute: “We became acquainted with Alveo Technologies at Medlab Middle East 2023. We are impressed with the near-limitless possibilities for their be.well platform and look forward to collaborating to build out their library of tests.

“Diagnostics is one of the four areas of focus for Fraunhofer Health and moving testing closer to patients at the point of need is a strategic imperative for us,” concluded Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, the Head of the Diagnostics Department, Fraunhofer Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology. 

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