Technology and Heathcare
Healthcare in India is very bright and futuristic. This sector is the fourth largest employer,providing employment opportunities for more than 3 lacs population and having a potential of providing 40 million jobsin this year.Healthcare is expected to show a growth from $110 billion in 2016 to $372 billion in 2022. Due to many conducive government policies, there are vibrant investment opportunities prevailing in this sector.Healthcare start-up companies attract $370 billion investment in 2019 in India. Thanks to technology advancement in healthcare,the life expectancy index is in the increasing trend globally.Since 1900 the global average life expectancy has more than doubled and is now above 70 years. It is estimated to increase to become 74.4 years in 2022. One side it results in a huge old age population count but on the other side more productive man power available to increase the GDP. Medical tourism is another area where there is a considerable potential but only partially tapped. Medical tourism in India is growing year on year and expected to grow steadily. Quality treatment, Cheaper tariff, zero waiting period, good connectivity, easy communicable service providers, quality treatment, talented doctors, latest technological equipment etc attract patients to India.
While India has good scope to increase its growth, in many occasions the hospitals were not able to meet the expectations of the patients.As the healthcare delivery system is in an infant stage, most of the service providers are untrained and unskilled, not knowing much about the patients’ need and expectations. There are gaps to be bridged between the expectations and service delivery. This gap could be filled with digitization to some extent. Mushroom of apps have been launched by various technologists giving solutions to simple problems like appointments, getting test results, making payment etc. Penetration of android phones,
impatient to waiting times, seeking easier solutions to various day to day problems facing in hospitals, created greater demand and acceptance of app solutions. These tech enabled tools will not only improve the operational efficiency but will improve the patient communication system efficiently. This results in an increased patient satisfaction too.
There are many apps available in the market. They are both useful for patients and hospitals. Few of the dash boards from these apps are useful for data analysis based on which many managerial decisions were taken. Whether it is to know demographic flow of patients, preferred specialities, count on revisit, patient waiting time at out patient clinics, at diagnostic areas etc. all could be obtained from this. These analytics give a lot of insight into the operational efficiency and customer care activities, to improve patient satisfaction. An interesting app enables a patient attender to locate the patient room hassle free by using navigation system running within the hospital. Another app advises the management on the movement of assets ( equipment) from one department to another, one area to another or one unit to another. In any hospital, transporting of patients from one ward to another ward is done manually. To have better control over the transporters and to bring efficiency in the system, an app helps the management. There are many such apps helping different stakeholders.
One app which is widely used for doctor’s appointment system.
Conventionally, getting an appoint with a popular specialist is not an easy job.For seeing a doctor, unless emergency, need to register, pay and wait forour turn to come. During the course of examination, if any diagnostic investigations are suggested, then we have to pay, wait for the turn, wait for results and to wait again to see the doctor to show results. New apps enable the patients to fix appointment at their desired time, can make payment from home, can see the diagnostic results in mobile so that waiting time could be saved. It can remind the review date and again prompt seeking appointment with the doctor(s). It gives a seamless experience to the patients in hospitals. Challenge here is the doctor’s availability at the appointment time. Due to sudden emergencies, their physical presence at the required time may differ.This is mostuseful for senior citizens, who are dependent on others. The app prompts the patients for taking medication, measuring their vitals at regular intervals and message doctorwhen the vitals are more than standards. Itprompts for refilling medicines when nearing stock out, again fixing appointmentat review period etc. Right from booking taxi, till reaching home these apps are very handy for them.
Buying a product through Amazon is very easy, fast and could be done at a convenient time suitable to anyone. But availing health service is depending upon the healthcare providers and their availability, where waiting time could not be fully eliminated. By use of these apps, the waiting time and queueing time could be reduced. Many new developments using AI is in the pipeline,which still can make the patients’ life ease and comfort.It is a fact that products have homogeneity but services have heterogeneity and need to customize from customer to customer. And automation is possible only to some extent but not fully.
There are many apps available in the market. They are both useful for patients and hospitals. Few of the dash boards from these apps are useful for data analysis based on which many managerial decisions were taken. Whether it is to know demographic flow of patients, preferred specialities, count on revisit, patient waiting time at out patient clinics, at diagnostic areas etc. all could be obtained from this. These analytics give a lot of insight into the operational efficiency and customer care activities, to improve patient satisfaction. An interesting app enables a patient attender to locate the patient room hassle free by using navigation system running within the hospital. Another app advises the management on the movement of assets ( equipment) from one department to another, one area to another or one unit to another. In any hospital, transporting of patients from one ward to another ward is done manually. To have better control over the transporters and to bring efficiency in the system, an app helps the management. There are many such apps helping different stakeholders.
One app which is widely used for doctor’s appointment system.
Conventionally, getting an appoint with a popular specialist is not an easy job.For seeing a doctor, unless emergency, need to register, pay and wait forour turn to come. During the course of examination, if any diagnostic investigations are suggested, then we have to pay, wait for the turn, wait for results and to wait again to see the doctor to show results. New apps enable the patients to fix appointment at their desired time, can make payment from home, can see the diagnostic results in mobile so that waiting time could be saved. It can remind the review date and again prompt seeking appointment with the doctor(s). It gives a seamless experience to the patients in hospitals. Challenge here is the doctor’s availability at the appointment time. Due to sudden emergencies, their physical presence at the required time may differ.This is mostuseful for senior citizens, who are dependent on others. The app prompts the patients for taking medication, measuring their vitals at regular intervals and message doctorwhen the vitals are more than standards. Itprompts for refilling medicines when nearing stock out, again fixing appointmentat review period etc. Right from booking taxi, till reaching home these apps are very handy for them.
Buying a product through Amazon is very easy, fast and could be done at a convenient time suitable to anyone. But availing health service is depending upon the healthcare providers and their availability, where waiting time could not be fully eliminated. By use of these apps, the waiting time and queueing time could be reduced. Many new developments using AI is in the pipeline,which still can make the patients’ life ease and comfort.It is a fact that products have homogeneity but services have heterogeneity and need to customize from customer to customer. And automation is possible only to some extent but not fully.
