Healthcare has faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, governments, clinics, hospitals, and frontline workers were confronted with additional pressures of tracing and tracking new infections, treating COVID-19 patients while managing their usual duties, respecting social distance rules, and maintaining the flow of medical supplies. This increased the strain on an already under-resourced system.
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Following the pandemic, observers from various industries have remarked that a decade’s worth of innovation occurred in just ten months. PwC Singapore’s Health Industries Leader has also said that the pandemic expedited the emergence of what he terms the New Health Economy—or the future of healthcare.
This future is without a doubt digital. Healthcare institutions in many countries are embracing telehealth services, diagnostics, digital therapeutics, remote data analytics, and patient monitoring to reduce the gap between patient and provider, providing personalized, proactive, and higher-quality healthcare. If the pandemic has shown anything, it is the massive potential of digital technologies to help us combat future challenges.
What it means to be resilient
As we move out of the COVID-19 pandemic, how can it be ensured that healthcare is future-proofed? New challenges will likely emerge again, and we require systems that enable healthcare institutions to ensure disruptions and respond with agility and speed.
To begin with, countries are starting to construct a common digital infrastructure to eliminate data siloes and improve healthcare decision-making. In the Netherlands, the pandemic inspired the government to create a national portal for the digital exchange of COVID-19 patient records.
Earlier this year, 72 million citizens in Germany were given legal access to a national patient record. Germany continues to advocate for a European Union (EU)-wide common health data sharing framework.
On an organizational level, healthcare institutions can harness the innovation catalyzed by COVID-19 by intensifying their focus on telehealth services, communication technologies, data analytics capabilities, and supply chain management. This approach aims to install resilience and agility into their operations.
Tips for building resilience in healthcare
Improve staff connectivity and mobility
In times of workplace accidents, natural disasters, or future pandemics, frontline workers and hospital staff need to stay updated on the rapidly changing situation. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare teams faced the constant challenge of evolving case numbers, changing regulations and measures, and more.
Providing healthcare members with mobile computers that enable real-time collaboration and communication is key to facilitating the flow of information. Intelligent in-vehicle edge gateways additionally improve communication between ambulances and the control tower, enhancing first-aid care and dispatch decisions.
This allows clinics, hospitals, and ambulatory services to respond quickly and efficiently to situational needs, enhancing healthcare outcomes, particularly in moments when they are most needed.
These tablets, laptops, and other devices come equipped with fast connectivity and enterprise-grade security to ensure hospital and patient data is protected while ensuring that urgent information is sent and received in a reliable and timely manner.
Invest in telehealth services
A recent report from Frost & Sullivan stated that we are experiencing “a radical telehealth expansion.” In the United States, its annual projected compound growth rate vaulted from just over 28 % (pre-COVID) to approximately 40 % (post-COVID), while remote patient monitoring has been projected to increase 150 % this year alone.
Telehealth services are an essential part of healthcare resilience and business continuity. Today, hospitals are looking to limit risk by keeping non-urgent or vulnerable cases, as well as non-essential personnel, away from their premises. Innovations in telecare for remote diagnosis and support narrow the divide, enabling hospitals to deliver continued care using digital channels while maintaining their humanity.
Double down on data analytics
For effective data analytics, a robust system is required for the collection and organization of data. Healthcare institutions must determine which data needs collecting and how it will be collected. For instance, RFID tags to track the movement of patients, powerful software to streamline surgeries and schedules, and sensors to monitor building system integrity.
After completing the first step, intelligence must be built into these systems. Machine learning technologies and artificial intelligence are advancing every day. The healthcare sector could accelerate screening processes and match patients with required services more efficiently. It could also convert data into personalized insights to improve care or predict catastrophes that will overwhelm supplies and resources.
From a resilience perspective, data analytics helps healthcare institutions keep up to date with minute environmental changes, extracting insights that will result in timely action to address all manner of challenges and disruptions.
For everyday uses, analytics frees up time and resources and helps to open up new opportunities for specific and high-quality healthcare.
Strengthen the supply chain
An essential element of resilience is supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic placed a visible strain on global medical resources as the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks, and other healthcare supplies significantly increased. As the world adapts to the new normal, medical institutions should address their supply chains and collaborate to fill gaps and urgently address these issues.
It would be prudent for healthcare institutions to invest in advanced digital capabilities. The key goal should be gaining visibility throughout the supply chain to remain prepared for future disruptions. It is also the ideal time to drive scenario modeling and create plans for the potential challenges of the future. This will build greater resilience and agility in supply chain operations.
Towards a future-fit healthcare system
Many of the foundations of a resilient healthcare system are in place. The healthcare industry is rich in data, and COVID-19 only expedited the utilization of digital capabilities that are well-suited to future requirements.
If built on a solid core digital infrastructure and robust security, healthcare institutions are in a good position to provide reliable, efficient, and humane care services during both peaceful and challenging times.
Recommended products for hybrid learning
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