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A trip to the doctor usually means providing a detailed account of your health status, symptoms and medications.
But what if you could hand the doctor a tablet with a two-week record of your overall health? It would include everything from your heart rate, to weight, to oxygen levels – all continuously tracked and stored in the cloud.
This is the new personalized, data-driven reality of healthcare. With digital tools, richer information and increased sharing, doctors can offer even more timely care.
“Healthcare providers will be able to evaluate a person’s wellness before they even go to them,” says Kevin Walsh, vice-president of healthcare technology for Celestica.
The company is a Canadian-based leader in design, manufacturing, hardware and supply chain solutions, covering healthcare and other industries. Walsh says that technologies once reserved for everyday products, like smartphones and wearable devices, are now emerging in healthcare with powerful analytics. Call it the consumerization of healthcare technology.
Meanwhile, more connected devices are permeating all areas of care. Imaging and diagnostics are becoming faster and more accurate, with more point-of-care results. Surgery uses real-time data and smart instruments. Other equipment relies on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate manual procedures. This can free healthcare professionals to spend more time exercising their professional judgement, and less on routine steps.
Even medication is becoming a smart device, with consumable products that relay data about absorption rates and treatment regimen compliance.
These technologies are changing the way healthcare is practised, managed and delivered. That’s a necessity at a time of rising demands on the healthcare system, increasing expectations of patients and cost pressures on healthcare service providers.
Walsh explains that technology solutions have the potential to save time and lower costs, and enable better service and outcomes.
Today’s medical devices are becoming more flexible, smaller and easier to use. Companies that specialize in data analytics, AI and ML are now helping to develop systems that could be used in healthcare.
“Real-time data solutions no longer need to come from traditional healthcare providers,” Walsh says. “One customer didn’t even describe themselves as a medical device company. They called themselves a data management company, and this is who is contributing heavily to the healthcare space.”
Partnering with a company like Celestica, which has a long history in highly- regulated markets, can help healthcare original equipment manufacturers to innovate faster and accelerate market entry.
“We’re bringing over 25 years of manufacturing techniques to bear,” says Walsh. “We also fully understand the quality management system requirements of regulatory bodies around the world, to ensure these products are successful.”
For technology providers, he says it’s critical to look at the whole life-cycle of product development, from supply chain, to quality control to regulations. The right partnerships can help to ensure a smooth process, take innovations to the next level, and navigate complex regulatory requirements to avoid post-launch issues.
These capabilities are critical. As Walsh says, disruptions and manufacturing hiccups could not only be bad for business, they can also affect the overall health of a patient.
“If your smartphone or your fitness tracker stops working, it’s an inconvenience,” Walsh says. “But if your pacemaker stops working, that’s an entirely different story.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.