In Conversation With, Nandakumar K, General Manager, Honeywell Safety And Productivity Solutions, India
1. How prepared has India emerged for digital health since the pandemic?
The pandemic has unravelled the myriad avenues and opportunities in boosting healthcare and life sciences in India and the world. Charting the road to recovery, India’s medical industry has been backing and accepting digital technologies developed by both public and private players. Bolstered by government-led social welfare initiatives such as Aadhaar and Digital India among others, such innovations have drawn funding support from the global canvas, as well as helped foster an ecosystem of digital health start-ups.
While Indian healthcare has made strides, there are fundamental infrastructure challenges such as high patient to bed ratio (5 beds per 10000 people) and challenges in caregiving, which has widened gulf between patients and healthcare providers. Studies show that 22.6% of caregivers’ time is wasted due to inefficient communication and care-collaboration tools, while potentially 18% of physicians’ tasks can be automated. Further, complications accentuated during the pandemic, when healthcare delivery had to reinvent itself on various parameters. First, allocation of available resources between essential and non-essential/ elective procedures. Second, reducing touch points between caregivers and patients to curb infection and third, to holistically re-define patient care with quality experience for patients
These gaps accelerated the integration of RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) which assumed immense significance, not just for the healthcare providers but also for the patients. By integrating remote patient monitoring as an offering, healthcare providers were able to lower costs and improve efficiency, due to available patient data, and are able to deliver high-quality care to a sizeable patient pool with a reduced risk of burnout. During the pandemic, remote patient monitoring systems also demonstrated system’s efficacy, as non-emergency patients could be treated remotely with the same level of attention and care.
2. How are healthcare providers in India enhancing patient experience using technology?
Technological intervention in key healthcare systems has furthered precision, clarity and consistency, while reshaping processes and paving the way for future advancements. From minimizing errors due to staff fatigue, to bolstering safety in treatment solutions through advanced operating procedures and assured recommendations, medical institutions have made significant strides in their mission to provide quality care. Tools that facilitate easy-to-use and affordable doctor-patient consultations; provide an accessible and faultless interface that connects patients, doctors, diagnostic clinics and pharmacies in a holistic manner have seen a substantial uptake.
One such technological integration has been with automated diagnostic processes through AI systems which are redefining the relationship between patients, healthcare providers, and the health system. By connecting patients and healthcare providers, treatments can be improved due to round the clock availability of data, collected in real time. This accurate information spurs healthcare providers to develop an immediate plan of action, predict trends, anticipate occurrences and address issues proactively.
In essence, healthcare can thrive when all stakeholders are digitally empowered on every step of their journey. A crucial outcome of technology integration in healthcare delivery is the fact that patients feel more involved in their treatment process, as communication channels have increased, thereby redefining the healthcare ecosystem. Ergo, an integrated, new-age approach to deploying healthcare streamlines processes, prevents escalations and improves overall quality of life.
3. What are some of the latest offerings from Honeywell to improve healthcare delivery?
Honeywell recently launched its Real-Time Health Monitoring System (RTHMS), a smart edge-to-cloud communication platform for remote and real-time monitoring of patients that acts as a bridge between caregiver and patient. The offering integrates hardware and software to improve care delivery, enhance healthcare worker productivity, and enable process efficiency. By digitizing and automating critical tasks, RTHMS can reduce hospital administrative tasks by 35%.
Despite advances in technology, healthcare remains burdened by heavy paperwork and manual processes. Medical personnel are overloaded with repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as capturing and registering patients’ vital signs. This leads to inefficiencies, loss of productivity, exposure to infections, and increased risk of incidents.
RTHMS uses advanced sensing technology to capture the vital parameters of patients in real-time and transmits them to a comprehensive health analytics dashboard. This can be accessed by authorized personnel over the Internet or though Honeywell’s care communication platform, a mobile application for caregivers, who can scan the QR code and monitor patients in real-time or remotely. This edge-to-cloud system also generates alerts in real-time should there be any deviation in patients’ vital signs against acceptable or normal ranges.
RTHMS is being offered with a software-as-a-service model to hospitals, ambulatory care centers, elderly home care, emergency and specialized day surgery and clinics to reduce investment in expensive equipment for vital tracking, thereby optimizing costs and streamlining processes. From a patient’s first visit to diagnosis and returning home from care, Honeywell SPS has the technologies to help healthcare providers shape the future of their organizations.
4. Overview of the healthcare technology advancements in 2022.
The global digital health market was valued at $96.5 bn in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% from 2021 to 2028i. From artificial intelligence (AI) to the Internet-of-Medical-Things (IoMT) and cloud computing to predictive analytics, technology is widening horizons to offer quick care management and, most importantly, reduce casualties with real-time access to patient history and remote patient monitoring.
Hybrid telemedicine is set to improve the quality of communication between doctors and patients, as EHR-based telehealth and cloud computing pave the way for quick and easy access to patient data. Robotic Surgical Systems would enable execution of surgical procedures from afar, as virtual healthcare assistants and high-powered analytics facilitate personalized patient care plans. Medical imaging has been creating waves in the sector, as on-demand healthcare and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) stored in the cloud allow proper diagnosis and treatment. Healthcare analytics is vital, with predictive care for at-risk patients in their homes, precision medicines and pattern-based therapies set to bring in considerable change in the way healthcare is imagined.
Ergo, these emerging trends in healthcare are well-placed to make a crucial difference and put medical practitioners in a better position to manage in-hospital treatment, seamless recovery, drive process engagement and empower patients with their health-related information
