Health: Digital Innovations Transforming the Healthcare System - A Progress In Asia
In the Light of the ongoing COVID19 outbreak, the use of digital health has been rapidly intensified by healthcare providers since last year. One of the best examples would be the TELEHEALTH — as it has been increasingly adopted as a facet of mainstream health care not only by primary care physicians but a great many medical specialists as well. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the use of health technology, and healthcare professionals are well aware that these solutions are still one of the best innovations that will be used even after the outbreak of this pandemic ends.
HIMSS Asia Pacific digital health survey was conducted with the reason that they want to get a sense of what’s going on in the world of digital health in Asia Pacific Region with the help of healthcare professionals in different multiple countries in Asia.
CONTINUOUS PROGRESS OF DIGITAL HEALTH IN ASIA
With the report of Graphical Research, the digital health industry in Asia Pacific was valued at USD 14.1 billion in 2019 and is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 32.9 percent from 2020 to 2026.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the deployment of health technologies around the world, including in Asia Pacific. Top priorities, according to the healthcare organizations polled, are telehealth/telemedicine, remote/virtual care, and enterprise adoption/upgrading of EHR/EMR systems.
CHALLENGES IN SKILLED EMPLOYEES AND FUNDS
It has been identified through the survey across the Asia Pacific region that having a skilled workforce and funding and cost are those problems that have been faced with the implementation of digital health.
One factor is that aging populations also increase the scope and cost of healthcare needs, putting further pressure on healthcare professionals who are already understaffed and underfunded. Although the initial investment may be costly and take a long time to scale up, the purposeful and effective use of digital tools has the potential to relieve these limits.
TWO COUNTRIES IN ASIA LEADING THE DIGITAL HEALTH: SOUTH KOREA AND SINGAPORE
According to the survey results, the top three role model countries for digital healthcare are Singapore, South Korea, and also Australia. For the two countries in Asia, Singapore and South Korea it is widely known that this is due to the respective governments’ proactive approach towards understanding the advantages of digital health technologies.
They have already made significant long-term investments in healthcare infrastructure, as evidenced by their tech-driven response to the COVID-19 crisis. The largest hospital in Singapore and part of the National Healthcare Group, used a command, control, and communications system that sensed, thought, and responded to improve patient flow and care delivery, allowing them to manage a massive surge of suspected COVID-19 patients during the pandemic’s peak in mid-2020.
INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT TO LOOK OUT FOR
The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled digital health into the mainstream, and it is no longer regarded as a research project or a nice-to-have as a part of their healthcare organization but one to be considered as a means to have in the healthcare industry.
With still a surge of COVID-19 outbreaks, new variants detection in the Asia Pacific region, the adoption of digital tools like telehealth/telemedicine, remote monitoring, and virtual care is critical to relieve caregiver responsibilities and keep both patients and caregivers safe.
Overall, healthcare organizations are striving to address workforce development and the personnel shortage, especially as Asia Pacific grapples with its aging populations. Even once the epandemic is over, digital health will continue to expand, but it is critical that the momentum for adoption be maintained, if not increased, in order to improve medical outcomes and efficiency.
As a student nurse I’ve always been intrigued by the potential of information technology to improve patient health outcomes. Digital health has allowed us to see the beauty and hard work of every professional in their field to continue in the advancement of health through evidence-based practice and research. All of these innovations in digital health have been greatly used for early intervention of disease conditions and giving a quality life and outcomes for all individuals, clients and patients.
Image Credit: Getty Images
Reference of the article: HIMSS. (2021, March 10). Exploring the Expansion of Health Technologies in the Asia Pacific Region | HIMSS. Www.himss.org. Retrieved from: https://www.himss.org/resources/exploring-expansion-health-technologies-asia-pacific-region
