Damian Sendler: On the surface, the idea that healthcare technology may be used to humanize medical care seems a little odd. Then, how? According to common sense, wouldn’t it be? Surely, the introduction of technology into this industry will make it less personal? There has been an increase in the usage of telehealth platforms during the pandemic, which has resulted in a greater distance between the clinician and the patient. 

Damian Sendler

Honestly, I’m not sure. Now, the argument is that technology allows for an ever larger connection—a relationship that is constant and constant.. As Deloitte stated it in a Modern Healthcare post in February 2020: 

“Instead than focusing on a patient’s illness, (virtual healthcare) focuses on the patient’s daily routines and needs. Even more importantly, virtual health is integrated in electronic devices (e.g., cellphones and personal computers) that are more linked with living life than caring for illness. 

Damian Jacob Sendler: Summer Knight, Deloitte’s Managing Director in Life Sciences and Healthcare Consulting, is a member of that Deloitte team. According to her book, “Humanizing Healthcare: Hardwire Humanity into the Future of Health,” technology can help patients and healthcare workers communicate more effectively with one another. In fact, she feels that more technology, rather than less, is the key to humanizing the industry…. 

In the summer of 2021, she made that statement on the Finding Genius podcast. “nudge” Knight said, referring to the “a tangible connection point” that a digital care activation platform would provide to patients and providers. This technology also builds a “therapeutic alliance” between the patient, their support system, and their healthcare staff, as she pointed out. 

Despite the lack of evidence, she appears to be on the right track. The Deloitte team predicted that the virtual health business would grow to $3.5 billion by 2022, long before the pandemic ever began. 

As a result of the outbreak, seven out of ten Americans became wary of going to the doctor’s office and instead relied on virtual care. 70 percent of all appointments were made in the first few months of the crisis (up from 8 percent previously). Indeed, patients have long known that virtual appointments allow for greater connection with doctors and more direct involvement by patients in their own care, so this is a welcome development. 

Despite the fact that telehealth visits are expected to drop to 30% of all appointments by the end of 2020, it is apparent that technology is a part of the healthcare system. Consider the use of bedside tablets as an example. Initially, locals used them for pleasure and relaxation, but when government-imposed lockdowns were implemented, they became an essential communication link to loved ones. 

Damian Jacob Sendler

When Richard Mohnk, the Associate CIO for Operations at Bayhealth and Steven Smith, the CIO of NorthShore University HealthSystem, spoke to Becker’s Hospital Review, they both agreed that tablets like these had been a “game-changer” for their respective organizations “Adjusting and implementing this functionality quickly during the pandemic… helped to preserve and improve human life,” 

Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: A dearth of doctors and an aging population necessitates that new technology be developed to address these issues. U.S. population is predicted to grow by 10.6 percent to reach 363 million by 2034, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. There is, however, predicted to be a 42.4 percent increase in the elderly population. 

At that point, a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 doctors will be expected. In other words, the number of persons with chronic diseases is expected to rise, while the number of caregivers is expected to decrease. 

However, time-saving (and even life-saving) gadgetry can be expected to fill the void, while also reinforcing the linkages outlined above. The Harvard Business Review, for example, believes that technology can achieve the latter goal by being user-friendly for patients and clinicians, by actively involving all parties and by providing evidence-based insights.. 

Damien Sendler: Be aware of the fact that healthcare technology has been viewed with skepticism. Concerns about the stethoscope’s effect on physician-patient relationships were voiced as far back as the 17th century. Because they were unfounded then, and they are unfounded now, such fears are unnecessary Rather from destroying those bonds, technology can actually strengthen them and enhance the patient experience.

Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.