Problems Faced by the Healthcare Field
Written by Vyomini Kapse November 21st 2021
The Healthcare Sector plays a tremendous role in the overall welfare of society and the nation’s economic growth. A robust healthcare system is a reflection of how developed a country is and hence every hurdle in this sector needs to be addressed efficiently. The current pandemic opened many gaps in the healthcare sector that needed immediate attention. Some of these important challenges are:
1. AI Integrated Software
Technology and artificial intelligence have taken over every industry bringing more productivity and efficiency to each process. The hospitality sector too is in dire need of more AI-integrated software applications to take care of the increasing data. While advanced data management systems are being introduced at healthcare facilities, many hospitals still await this much-needed technology.
2. Costly healthcare
Another pressing issue in this industry is the rising cost. Healthcare is going through a cost crisis and this impacts all the stakeholders in the long chain. This means everyone from medical drug manufacturing companies to insurance policy providers and eventually, patients get impacted. Hence it becomes difficult to prevent, control and monitor health-related problems.
3. Cybersecurity
Cyberattacks and data breaches are the cons of the digital age and need to be combated with swift and strong security measures. Sensitive information such as patients' health records falling into the wrong hands is a breach of privacy and can be misused by hackers for various purposes. Hence it becomes crucial that healthcare providers invest in strong cybersecurity which includes implementing multi-factor authentication and robust firewalls.
4. Telehealth
The COVID-19 pandemic proved that medical providers need to adopt more digital platforms. As social distancing was enforced in 2020, patients had to take consultations on online platforms. In many countries, this technology was new and in dire need of development. Telehealth and telemedicine are seeing many new medical applications emerging.
5. Better patient experience
Healthcare as an industry has undergone various changes and offers better and more advanced medical facilities. Patients too have heightened expectations and expect the best services from health establishments. A streamlined user experience helps hospitals attract patients and grow as an organisation. This sector too faces tough competition and has to go the extra length in terms of better services and technology.
These issues can be combated by students seeking to pursue a career in the healthcare field being armed and well prepared with interdisciplinary knowledge from fields such as Business, Data Analysis, Economics, Psychology and so on and so forth. It is essential that students looking to pursue a career in medicine do the bare minimum of reading up on these subjects and the various concepts from these subjects which shall aid them in developing the healthcare sector.
Works Cited
Sharma, R. (2020, May 11). Top 10 Challenges Healthcare Companies Face Today. Finoit Technologies. https://www.finoit.com/blog/top-10-healthcare-challenges/
Siwicki, B. (2020, December 17). Here are the major issues facing healthcare in 2021, according to PwC. Healthcare IT News. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/here-are-major-issues-facing-healthcare-2021-according-pwc