5 Healthcare Technology Predictions for 2019

When they hear the word “technology”, most people think about entertainment. However, technology is a part of almost all aspects that are important for our lives, including healthcare. Thanks to technological advancements, the human race has been able to eradicate numerous diseases and save millions of lives.

Each year, new technological inventions are introduced into the health industry, some of which make a huge change in the quality of the health service. What new additions can we expect to see this year? Let’s check the experts’ main healthcare technology predictions for 2019.

  • The popularization of Digital Healthcare

More and more countries around the world are making huge leaps toward implementing electronic medical records and electronic health records. Germany is at the forefront of this idea, as they are expected to complete the process this year. As a result, more than 2.5 million health practitioners will gain access to the health data of more than 70 million citizens.

This new technology is much safer than before, and it’s also much more practical as well. Health practitioners will be able to do their job faster and with more certainty, whereas patients will get a higher quality service. Following Germany’s example, more countries are expected to jump on the bandwagon.

  • AI Will Become More Prevalent in Healthcare

Will AI ever be able to completely replace doctors in the diagnostic sector of healthcare? Many experts are confident that it will. However, that will surely not happen this year. In 2019, we can expect some big improvements in AI computing power and machine learning technology, which will create a basis for future implementations in artificial intelligence.

Diagnosing health conditions will be an important role of AI in healthcare; however, it’s not going to be the only one. As artificial intelligence advances and becomes more capable, it might be able to make existing medical procedures more efficient and create new procedures as well.

  • Cyber Attacks Will Continue

One of the downsides of implementing new technologies in healthcare is that it makes them more vulnerable in some aspects. Even though, in theory, digital platforms are more secure than the traditional ones, the industry needs time to get used to it. Other industries had the same problem when they were faced with digitalization, and they have successfully overcome it.

Healthcare records are much more valuable on the black market than bank account info. For example, one health record is worth around $250, whereas one payment card info is worth around $5.5.

  • Personal Health Data Storage Will Take Off

In 2019, storing your personal health data will become even easier than before. It is expected that patients as consumers will be able to choose an app on the cloud and have all their health information in one place. The General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union already requires data holders to share their data with consumers on demand and in usable formats. Two most popular apps today are Microsoft’s HealthVault and Apple’s HealthKit.

  • Gene Sequencing Will Become Cheaper

Gene Sequencing technology has come a long way since it was invented several decades ago. At first, the procedures cost millions of dollars, but today they cost much less. However, they are still not affordable globally. Luckily, 2019 is expected to be another year in a row to see the reductions in the cost of genome sequencing.