Analysis: Patient monitoring helps patients have better outcomes and live longer

Patient monitoring has evolved from ad hoc to continuous monitoring of multiple parameters, causing a surge in the amount of unprocessed and unorganized data available to clinicians for decision-making. This is according to a new Frost & Sullivan analysis. Predictive analytics is becoming a particularly important technology to determine the current state of the patient's health as well predict future illnesses and has attracted $566.3 million in investments in 2018. The analysis says patient monitoring could be worth as much as $350 billion by 2025.

"In the future, patient monitoring data will be combined with concurrent streams from numerous other sensors, as almost every life function will be monitored and its data captured and stored," noted Frost & Sullivan’s Sowmya Rajagopalan, Advanced Medical Technologies Global Director. "The data explosion can be harnessed and employed through technologies such as Artificial Intelligence(AI), machine learning, etc., to deliver targeted, outcome-based therapies."

In addition to these technologies, patient monitoring solution developers will look to incorporate disruptive technologies such as:

·        Brain-computer interface (BCI): From treating and monitoring users with mobility or speech disabilities, BCI now monitors and measures health metrics for healthy people and uses the information to analyze a person’s psychological state or emotional, cognitive state.

·         Wearables/Embedded/Biosensors: An increase in the chronic disease population and shift in focus from treatment to prevention drive this technology. Continuous glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, and electrocardiogram monitors are some of the main applications.

·         Smart Prosthetics/Smart Implants: These are crucial for patient management post-surgery or rehabilitation. They help in measuring the key parameters to support monitoring and early intervention to avoid readmission or complexities.

·         Nano-robotics/Digital Medicine: Digital pills and nanorobots are designed to monitor medicine intake to address the expensive, long-standing issue of non-adherence.

·         Advanced Materials/Smart Fabrics: This emerging field focuses on wound management, cardiac monitoring, and mental illness.