The intersection of healthcare and technology: Telemedicine, Personalised Medicine and Digital Health innovations

Healthcare and technology are converging to transform the future of healthcare. Telemedicine revolutionises remote care with fast, patient-centric solutions, while the pharmaceutical industry improves access, efficiency and sustainability. The Kestria Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice Group brings together experts to explore this evolution.

Key takeaways:

1. The Intersection of Healthcare and Technology: Telemedicine, personalised medicine and digital health are transforming access, outcomes and efficiency.
2. The Role of Technology in Addressing Healthcare Challenges: AI, wearables and remote monitoring combat workforce shortages, costs and access gaps.
3. Equity and Accessibility: Equitable access to digital health tech is key to overcoming the digital divide.

Telemedicine: Revolutionising remote healthcare in a digital age

Technology’s role in reshaping healthcare

Naomi Goldapple, SVP of Data and Intelligence at Alayacare in Canada, focuses on software solutions for the Home Care industry, a historically overlooked but increasingly vital sector as populations age. Canada’s universal healthcare system operates through 13 decentralized systems under Medicare. While designed for equitable service, it faces significant strain, driving demand for private options to address unmet needs.

‚Addressing the question of how technology is reshaping Healthcare, my focus is on the aging population. By 2026, the youngest Baby Boomers will reach 80, leading to a significant increase in the elderly demographic. Many individuals prefer to age with dignity in their own homes, but the workforce available to support them like home care workers, nurses and other caregivers, is insufficient, creating substantial strain on the industry,‘ says Naomi Goldapple.

Technology optimises resources with generative AI and LLMs acting as AI scribes, reducing admin tasks, boosting efficiency and increasing daily visits. Machine learning analyses health data, aiding in tracking high-risk patients and improving resource allocation. Remote monitoring tools like sensors and wearables enable real-time tracking and 24/7 care, addressing healthcare worker shortages.

Kate O’Reilly, is a PhD-qualified pharmacist working in Health and Life Sciences Consulting at EY. She has a diverse background with experience working across various clinical settings, regulatory, academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Like Canada, Ireland’s healthcare system faces resourcing and workforce challenges. Sláintecare, the national strategy for reforming Ireland's health and social care system outlines a ten-year vision with the overarching aim to ensure that the right care is provided in the right place and at the right time. Integral to this vision is the role for digital health solutions in expanding the capacity to deliver integrated care closer to home.

Naomi highlighted how technology, particularly AI, data and clinical decision support, is reshaping healthcare,’ says Kate O’Reilly who agrees that innovative technologies such as RPM can improve accuracy and speed of diagnoses; facilitate continuous data collection to provide a holistic view of health; and improve patient experiences. They are also demonstrating quantitative reductions in healthcare costs and admissions and enabling an all-important shift towards more preventative and equitable care, as evidenced by solutions such as the AI-enabled WhatsApp solution for cervical cancer screening and appointment scheduling, that was piloted by the NHS earlier this year.

Drivers of Telemedicine’s paradigm shift 

Atantra Dasgupta, Southeast Asia Business Head of the Healthcare and Medical Equipment Division at Samsung, India, leads the imaging equipment business. He emphasises that no equipment operates in isolation today, with connectivity enabling seamless system integration. Similarly, healthcare systems are evolving to integrate. Devices like Fitbits, smartphones and smartwatches are becoming part of this ecosystem, with advancements like telemedicine driving a paradigm shift in healthcare.

‚Today, healthcare largely relies on an event-based model, treating issues after they arise, but technology is shifting it to a patient-focused model, easing the burden on secondary and tertiary systems,’ adds Atantra Dasgupta. ‚In India, only 6-7% of the health budget goes to primary care, while 57% is spent on secondary and tertiary care, much of it addressing crises like COVID-19, exposing infrastructure gaps. High costs challenge the advantage of a large workforce. The key question is whether this workforce is effectively utilised, as health is wealth. A digital India can create a healthier India, just as a digital world fosters a healthier world.’

Tomohiro highlights key risks that need attention: 

1. The demographic shift towards metropolitan areas, with Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya accounting for 53% of the population. Rural areas are aging rapidly and need services like telemedicine, but many elderly individuals struggle with advanced technology, creating inequities in care - one of Japan's key social challenges.

2. Data privacy and security are ongoing concerns when transmitting information over the web, particularly sensitive personal data such as medical records. This remains a critical issue that requires constant vigilance.

3. Telemedicine, especially for conditions like COVID-19, proved effective during the pandemic, accelerating global adoption. However, it lacks physical exams like auscultation or palpation and poor lighting hinders assessment of posture or gait. These crucial diagnostic aspects often require in-person visits, as assumptions or rushing can risk misdiagnosis. Technology is valuable but must be used wisely.

Balancing convenience and accessibility of telemedicine for vulnerable populations 

Dineo Lioma, founder and CEO of Docotela, South Africa, leverages her understanding of telehealth in an emerging economy. Dineo previously developed affordable HIV and COVID-19 test kits, with the latter costing over 50% less than imports, to address limited access and high costs. Now focusing on telehealth, Docotela aims to reduce private healthcare costs. ‚While medical aid averages 2000 Rand ($120), our plans offer unlimited doctor consultations for $11, including medication. ‚By prioritising preventative care through mobile access, we aim to reduce the onset of chronic diseases and improve access,’ says Dineo Lioma.

‚As Tomohiro noted, while telehealth grows, in-person consultations remain necessary for certain healthcare needs. In rural areas, community healthcare workers, often untrained as nurses or doctors, use tablets to collect data like blood pressure for doctors to review and follow up remotely. Smaller clinics also enable remote doctor interventions with on-site nurses to cut costs,‘ adds Dineo Lioma. ‚A balance of telehealth, in-person services and private and public healthcare is crucial to serve the broader population effectively.‘

Personalised Medicine: Leveraging Technology for patient-centric care

Trends Shaping the Future of Personalized Medicine

Tomohiro Hasegawa believes there are three key drivers at the intersection of technology and pharmaceuticals that are accelerating progress. These include the development of new drugs, the care continuum enabled by these drugs and advancements in detection and prevention:

‚Digital assay development is transforming drug development with digital twins and virtual trials gaining approval. In Japan, anonymised data tailors care protocols and evaluates drugs, a shift accelerated by COVID-19, notes Tomohiro Hasegawa. However, the high cost of treatments like Zolgensma ($2.1M per dose) raises affordability and ethical concerns. Advances in gene therapy, such as hemophilia treatments, highlight this complexity. AI tools enhance radiology, while biomarkers aid early disease detection, yet ethical questions about genetic predisposition disclosure persist. The intersection of technology and ethics remains critical,’ says Tomohiro Hasegawa.

Naomi Goldapple emphasises the importance of privacy and security in generative AI, stressing careful data management. ‚Enterprise-grade, paid models provide greater security and can be hosted in-house, ensuring PHI stays within the organisation's infrastructure. Personalization offers significant potential by leveraging collective data, which improves as a company grows and gathers more visits. Proper data capture and management are crucial, training models to deliver highly tailored predictions for individual patients using pre-trained datasets. These capabilities empower clinicians to choose the best interventions for each patient, making the use of extensive datasets for precise patient insights a groundbreaking advancement in AI.’

These include the adoption of a person-centered approach that focuses on prevention and self-management; an ethics and safety-by-design mindset; and a co-design approach that engages stakeholders from across the health ecosystem in early dialogue on all aspects of design, implementation and evaluation. Of particular importance, with respect to mitigating the risk of deepening a digital divide, is the need to develop digital skills and health literacy. In Ireland, around 4 in 10 adults in Ireland have limited health literacy. To be truly inclusive, innovation must go beyond digitalisation to also ensure that transformation is underpinned by an appropriate level of digital literacy and education.'

Dineo Lioma states that personalised medicine in Africa remains an ambitious goal, hindered by limited access to data. ‚Even in advanced economies like South Africa, public hospitals often rely on paper-based records, while digital health records are largely confined to private care. Electronic health records are essential for progress and initiatives like telemedicine play a crucial role in generating them. With the potential implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), responsibly shared data could help build a comprehensive patient information repository.‘

‚Affordability is a barrier, with costly wearables, limited mobile data and rural connectivity issues hindering personalised medicine in Africa. Tailored treatments are vital due to genetic diversity particularly within the African population, while stronger data privacy policies, beyond South Africa's POPIA Act, are needed to ensure safety and prevent unregulated practices. ‚Governments can promote personalized medicine through targeted policies, despite the costs. Some nations are sequencing newborns' genes to build disease-research repositories. While transformative, this requires significant funding and collaboration between the government and private sector,‘ adds Dineo Lioma.

According to Atantra Dasgupta, personalised medicine is crucial due to genetic diversity, which affects treatment efficacy. Without personalisation, risks include idiosyncrasy, where a drug works for some but harms others, allergic reactions like fatal anaphylactic shock and adverse chemical side effects.

‚Data-driven medicine is advancing, but personalised care requires integrating data, genomics and technology. Stem cell therapies demand precise personalisation, unified biomarkers and robust data tools. Collaboration across tech, pharma and biotech is key. Focus areas include heart and brain health, with stem cell therapies showing promise for heart repair and methods like immunosuppressants mitigating adverse reactions. Ongoing investment and global collaboration are crucial to shaping the future of personalised medicine,‘ explains Atantra Dasgupta.

Digital Health Innovations: The role of wearable tech in modern technology

Key considerations and priorities 

‚Ironically, the healthiest, fitness enthusiasts, well-being advocates and athletes, are the main adopters of health tech, while those who need it most are often least likely to use it, raising ethical concerns,‘ says Tomohiro Hasegawa. ‘Advances in monitoring conditions like hypertension, heart failure and asthma include devices like the smartwatch detecting EKGs and wearables aiding sleep apnea detection. While promising, the key challenge remains ensuring access for those who need these technologies most.’

Agreeing with Tomohiro, Dineo Lioma also notes that wearables often remain inaccessible to those who need them most due to high costs. ‚Many devices require expensive smartwatches, while smartphones alone are a financial burden for some. Kate raised concerns about the digital divide and trust in technology. For example, a TB study in South Africa revealed participants feared surveillance from wearables rather than recognising their health benefits. Educating users on data collection and its advantages is essential to building trust and ensuring patient buy-in.‘

Building on Dineo’s comment, Naomi Goldapple observes that the adoption of cutting-edge technologies is confronted with substantial barriers. ‚For instance, nurses, responsible for patient care, need full explainability to understand why a model predicts changes in a patient's risk. Models must be transparent and interpretable, showing factors like new medication or a fall that impact risk levels. This clarity builds trust, making model explainability crucial for adoption. Wearables offer real-time data, allowing clinicians to see how inputs affect models, enhancing understanding and trust.‘

Atantra Dasgupta illustrates this with a real-life example. ‚An 88-year-old man suffered a stroke at 6:00 a.m. while wearing a smartwatch, which alerted the nearest ambulance. The ambulance arrived, transported him to the hospital and his life was saved due to the timely intervention. This highlights the crucial role of modern technology. However, both adoption and adaptation of such technology are essential for its effectiveness.‘

Summary

Technology is reshaping healthcare by improving access, efficiency, and outcomes. As telemedicine, personalized medicine and digital innovations evolve, challenges like equitable access, data privacy and infrastructure must be addressed. Future success depends on collaboration between public and private sectors, alongside targeted policies. The growing role of AI, wearables and digital tools will continue to empower patients and providers, making healthcare more personalized and preventive.

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