| |March 20198CIOReviewn recent years, the healthcare industry in India has grown exponentially, increasing at a rapid pace owing to the increased investment and expenditure from public as well as private investors. 2018 was an eventful year for the healthcare sector owing to the active initiatives undertaken by the Government. The increased investment in healthcare industry from the private sector and the emergence of reputed global players investing through FDI also played a pivotal role in the growth of the healthcare sector.With the digital revolution going on within the country, healthcare is not far behind either. Healthcare technology has also evolved immensely in Indian healthcare industry. The Indian Government has also shown great interest in the development of new innovations in the digital healthcare space to provide better healthcare facilities especially in rural India. Below are a few healthcare technology trends which are expected to take forefront in the upcoming year:1. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)IoMT tools help clinicians monitor patients at home or on the go from any corner of the world through wearables (including ECG and EKG monitors), smart sensors, and mobile apps. Connected devices are leveraged to monitor at-risk patients to ensure they take medication, measure glucose level and blood pressure, set reminders and alerts. Some of the devices, like fitness trackers, correspond to smartphones apps which collect and display necessary statistics. By 2020, it is expected that up to 30 billion IoMT devices will be deployed worldwide.2.Telemedicine & M-HealthTelemedicine is improving diagnosing and treatment by making it easier for patients to get access to specialists, too. The availability of electronic records has also made it simpler to forward documents to specialists. So far, the sector is dominated by video chat platforms. Patients have video calls with the physician over the internet which allows them to not only describe the symptoms but also show visible symptoms. But this is far from being the only use of telemedicine. The technology IN MY OPINIONIThe healthcare industry is expected to witness some of most innovative digital trends which could shape the development of healthcare and medical industry in 2019 and beyond2019 ­ WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGYBy Dr. GSK Velu, Chairman & Managing Director, Trivitron Group of Companies
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