For companies engaged in healthcare monitoring, it will be increasingly important to adopt technology which can monitor patient biometrics continuously. As consumer wearables increasingly converge with medical wearable devices, the rise of comfortable, patient-friendly devices will increase customer compliance and improve data collection. Meanwhile, robotics can enable the adoption of minimally invasive surgery, which can improve recovery times and reduce scarring – and with less than 10% of surgeries in the US currently using robotics, there is a considerable opportunity for companies to make better use of this technology.
Company specific thoughts:
The use -of robotics is being pioneered by Intuitive Surgical and TransEnterix; ISRG’s da Vinci robot is currently a leader in this area. Meanwhile personalization is being spearheaded by iRhythm Technologies and Abbott Laboratories. IRTC has developed Zio AT, a real-time monitoring device which sends ECG data to physicians to improve cardiovascular outcomes. And ABT's Libre monitors patients’ glucose patterns in order to treat diabetes more effectively. Other companies, including Endologix, Hologic and NuVasive, may be innovating within their specialist areas – but are not yet using big data to personalize treatment.
Healthcare: Up close
The future will be determined by those who are willing to reinvest, adapt and turn future threats into opportunities.