Health and Healthcare SystemsFeb 22, 2023
Technological advances are starting to revolutionize the healthcare sector. Image: Pexels/Chokniti Khongchum
This article is part of: Centre for Health and Healthcare
- Healthcare innovation is accelerating at an unprecedented scale, particularly in the digital sphere, the World Health Organization says.
- Advances such as artificial intelligence and gene editing are transforming the way diseases are detected and treated.
- Here are 5 innovations that are pushing boundaries in healthcare.
Suppose you or someone you know needs surgery or treatment for an illness or disease. In that case, it’s increasingly likely that advances in medical technology will improve the chances of a successful outcome.
Medical innovations have occurred throughout history, continually advancing our ability to treat complex diseases. These include the first vaccine for smallpox in the 18th century, the development of antibiotics in the 1920s and the world’s first organ transplant three decades later.
Here are five innovations that are pushing even more boundaries in healthcare.
The use of algorithms and machine learning in detecting, diagnosing and treating disease has become a significant area of life sciences. Some believe it is the biggest healthcare revolution of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, a deep-learning algorithm developed by health-tech company Qure.ai is enabling the early detection of lung cancer. The firm says a study demonstrated a 17% improvement when using AI to interpret chest x-rays compared to conventional radiology readings. It has formed a partnership with drug giant AstraZeneca that aims to scale up the technology to reduce lung cancer mortality rates around the world.
Number of US hospitals with a centralized 3D printing facility
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](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1211961/medical-3d-printing-facilities-hospitals-united-states/)
The use of 3D printing techniques in healthcare is growing rapidly. Image: Statista.
The technology is being used for creating dental implants, replacement joints, as well as for made-to-measure prosthetics. Research into using 3D printers for manufacturing skin tissue, organs and even medication is also underway.
One of the main benefits of 3D printing is that it greatly accelerates production processes and, therefore, also reduces the cost of traditionally manufactured products. The technology has reduced the time it takes to produce hearing aids from more than one week to just one day, according to the American Hospital Association.
The technology works by “harnessing the natural mechanisms” of invading viruses and then “cutting out” infected DNA strands. By altering cell mutations, CRISPR also has the potential to transform the way rare conditions like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease are treated.
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What is the World Economic Forum doing to improve healthcare systems?
The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Health and Healthcare works with governments and businesses to build more resilient, efficient and equitable healthcare systems that embrace new technologies.
Learn more about our impact:
- Global vaccine delivery: Our contribution to COVAX resulted in the delivery of over 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines and our efforts in launching Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has helped save more than 13 million lives over the past 20 years.
- Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative: Through this collaborative initiative, we are working to accelerate progress in the discovery, testing and delivery of interventions for Alzheimer's – building a cohort of 1 million people living with the disease who provide real-world data to researchers worldwide.
- Mental health policy: In partnership with Deloitte, we developed a comprehensive toolkit to assist lawmakers in crafting effective policies related to technology for mental health.
- Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare: We are fostering a sustainable and equitable healthcare industry by launching innovative healthcare hubs to address ineffective spending on global health. In the Netherlands, for example, it has provided care for more than 3,000 patients with type 1 diabetes and enrolled 69 healthcare providers who supported 50,000 mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- UHC2030 Private Sector Constituency: This collaboration with 30 diverse stakeholders plays a crucial role in advocating for universal health coverage and emphasizing the private sector's potential to contribute to achieving this ambitious goal.
Want to know more about our centre’s impact or get involved? Contact us.
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](https://unsplash.com/photos/IihA7E9ZAug)
VR technology is being widely used in the healthcare sector. Image: Unsplash/Bermix Studio.
Surgeons can also use a VR helmet to rehearse procedures, as well as to have full sight of the inside of a patient's body. And the technology can help people to "unlearn" chronic pain by retraining the brain, Forbes says.
VR can also help people with mental disorders overcome their fears by providing them a controlled environment for social interactions. Two hours of exposure to treatment for fear of heights cut patient anxiety by an average of 68%, according to Forbes.
A bandage that uses sensors to monitor wound healing has been developed by researchers in the US. It “promotes faster closure of wounds, increases new blood flow to injured tissue, and enhances skin recovery by significantly reducing scar formation”, according to the Stanford University team behind it.
A thin electronic layer on the bandage has temperature sensors that monitor a wound. If necessary, they can trigger more electrical stimulation to accelerate tissue closure.
[
](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-022-01564-z)
The wireless smart bandage can monitor how a wound is healing. Image: Nature.
“With stimulation and sensing in one device, the smart bandage speeds healing, but it also keeps track as the wound is improving,” said Artem Trotsyuk, co-author of a study of the bandage.
The device needs to overcome cost and data storage issues before going into mass production. However, it could eventually offer significant help to people with suppressed immune systems and diseases like diabetes, who often suffer from slow-healing wounds.
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