6 Digital Health Trends for 2022 and Beyond

The digital healthcare market was valued at 181.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to be over 550 billion by 2027.

This is a huge jump that demonstrates that the digital healthcare market has made its place in the world and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon — in fact, it’s going to expand at an almost alarming rate!

It’s a fast-paced industry, and it can seem challenging to stay up to date. Still, you only need to be aware of the upcoming trends, such as practicing online consultation and transitioning to HIPAA compliant online fax service, to stay on top of things.

Here’s what you can expect in terms of digital health trends for 2022 that will continue beyond that year. 

1. More Telehealth Appointments

Telehealth appointments have become the norm for non-emergency situations in many medical offices. Doctors will see their patients through video chat, and even urgent care is allowing video call appointments so you don’t have to go down to the office and wait.

This is convenient for patients and also allows doctors to see more people.

There’s no sign of the telehealth appointments slowing down any time soon. It’s one of the biggest digital health trends in recent years, and it’s been a huge success.

In fact, medical offices who still haven’t embraced this trend may want to now or their patients may abandon ship for an office that does offer this. 

2. At-Home Tests

Although at-home laboratory tests have been around for a long time, most people were introduced to them during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At-home tests were a lot safer to do since the virus was so highly contagious so in 2020, at-home tests became very desirable. Stores and pharmacies were also sold out of them.

It stands to reason that this one will be one of the big digital health industry trends moving forward. Not only is it safer when the disease or virus being tested for is contagious, but it’s also convenient — especially if the patient isn’t feeling well and doesn’t want to drag themselves to a medical center.

Although it’s not feasible to check for some diseases using an at-home test, we’re sure to see the expansion. 

3. Immunity Passports

Another thing that’s not new but COVID-19 has brought into the spotlight is immunity passports. Many countries across the world are introducing a requirement that you must be vaccinated against it to enter, as are many events and private businesses in the US.

Many countries already have this requirement for other vaccines, but because it’s been a while since their introduction, it’s causing a stir.

What’s different about immunity passports now is that they’ll be more widespread across western countries and they can be carried digitally. Gone are the days of having to have a physical card — now you can install it on an app on your phone.

Just how many places will install this requirement for COVID-19 — and if it will be permanent — remains to be seen, but it may happen with more viruses in the future. 

4. Self-Monitoring

Self-monitoring is one of the current trends in the digital health field that will stay on the rise.

It’s not always possible for patients to be monitored by a medical professional, because that professional likely has a lot of patients — or perhaps the patient has things they need to get on with! They may need a workplace rehabilitation provider to get back into their career or have dependents to take care of.

This is how self-monitoring can play a big role. Various software, like smartwatches or voice monitoring, can detect any changes and report them to the patient and healthcare provider. 

This can be more effective than the patient self-reporting with any technological assistance, as they may not have any medical training. 

5. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

The rise of artificial intelligence is huge in any online industry, and digital healthcare is just one of them.

Although A.I. is still being explored and no one’s quite sure where it will go, it’s sure to find a place in the medical field. It may be used to answer questions of patients who aren’t sure if they need to see a doctor, or it might aid in self-monitoring.

It could even be used in studies to advance the research of healthcare. 

6. Healthcare Misinformation

The rise of technology itself is never-ending, and that means people are more connected than ever. It’s easy to sign onto social media and see some information from someone, or a link to an article posted that has no real evidence or experts behind it.

That’s why misinformation in healthcare is huge — and, again, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven this, with people even afraid to get the vaccine due to people spreading wrong facts about it. 

Unfortunately, healthcare misinformation will keep happening. It’s one trend that shouldn’t be on the rise, as it can prove very dangerous, but it is.

Always check your sources and keep yourself as informed as possible as we see this continue to happen. 

Expect These Digital Health Trends to Rise

These digital health trends are not only going to keep rising through 2022 but beyond. Artificial intelligence, at-home lab tests, vaccine passports, and self-monitoring could all be huge for the healthcare industry and really help — and, unfortunately, that comes with the bad, such as misinformation.

Stay up to date on the rising trends and know which to take advantage of and which to stay carefully aware of.

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