How healthcare has changed in the past 10 years

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Healthcare has changed dramatically in the last decade, especially in terms of technology and epidemics. Here are six ways the industry has changed medicine's landscape in the last decade. Technological advances and controversial healthcare policies have had a huge impact on the healthcare industry.

Healthcare Analytics

The introduction of healthcare analytics has enabled hospitals to gather information about patient records and patient visits in order to deliver better care. Electronic Health Records have clearly outperformed paper records when it comes to healthcare. According to the American Hospital Association, by 2017, 95% of hospitals had adopted an EHR and 94% were using its data to improve patient care.

Gone are the days of having to jump through hoops to get a patient’s medical records to follow them as they move between healthcare organizations. According to The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, today 80 percent of healthcare organizations can electronically query patient health information from external sources and more than half of all hospitals automatically notify primary care doctors when their patients are admitted to the emergency room: all thanks to healthcare analytics.

Healthcare analytics can lead to some stunning predictive uses too, such as the ability to estimate hospital admission rates for any given day and the ability to track, measure and analyze treatments in order to create better outcomes for patients. For example, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California used analytics to accurately predict neonatal infections based on the mother’s clinical history in order to avoid the potentially dangerous overuse of antibiotics in infants.

Lower death rates

Overall mortality rates have been on the decline for decades, and the most recent decade was no exception. Between 2014 and 2018, the U.S. recorded 725 deaths per 100,000 population, a new all-time low. Despite the fact that general mortality rates increased slightly in the following years, the number was 16% lower than the year 2000, which recorded 869 deaths per 100,000 population. In 2013, the number of general mortality rates was still 16% lower than the year 2000. The numbers also show that the quality of healthcare has been continuing to improve.

Remote monitoring

A new development in patient care, remote monitoring allows individuals to be discharged from the hospital earlier than ever, decreasing the cost of care for both the patient and the hospital. Patients can recover in a more pleasant environment and be certain that healthcare providers are keeping tabs on their progress through the use of minuscule electronic implants. This technology assists in treating people in a more cost-effective manner and permits them to return to their regular activities quicker.

Health gadgets

Present day health wearables have been designed to be more stylish and sophisticated than ever before. These gadgets can keep track of a person's overall wellness and vital signs, and record the amount of physical activity and food consumed daily, which leads to more productive workouts and a better diet. These wearables have become very popular and the Fitbit, for example, has assisted many Americans in living a better, healthier life.

Recognition of patient rights

One of the reformist ‘strands’ aims to strengthen patients’ rights by increasing patient power in the health system. References to patient guarantees are most frequently made in dealing with the more fundamental rights of the patient. Here are some examples: the right to be treated with dignity; the right to privacy; the right to receive all medical information; the right to express consent to treatment; the right to access medical records; and the right to complain and compensation. In addition, patients’ freedom of choice in selecting doctors, the right to a second opinion, the guarantee of a maximum waiting time, participation in healthcare system decision-making, and the institution of a patient ombudsman are also usually included. Sweden was one of the first nations to institute patient right reforms. India and other eastern nations have recognised the value of it and are taking the necessary action to make them uniform code of conduct.

Telemedicine gains traction

Over the past few years, the notion of telemedicine has been accepted as a viable option for delivering quality health care. However, the limited reimbursement rates, cross-state practicing policies, and other obstacles have hindered its widespread adoption. But due to the sudden rise of telemedicine, brought about by the pandemic, many organisations have made use of waivers and other flexibilities to make sure that people have continuous access to medical help. It is now clear that telemedicine is here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity and scope of services offered. It has helped healthcare reach to the remotest corners of the underdeveloped areas and countries.

There is a big boom in the current healthcare development and we expect to see the major impact in terms of improvement in generalised life expectancy and quality of life in upcoming decade.