Coronavirus Pandemic Has Encouraged a Mobile, User-Centered Approach to Healthcare

September 8, 2020—Panelists at the Connected Health Summit on Thursday agreed that the pandemic has encouraged a more mobile, user-centered approach to healthcare, particularly with the more-prevalent deployment of artificial intelligence.

“The pandemic has caused people to consider what the right mix of services are for them. We're now seeing a more user-centered design.” Andrew Altorfer, CEO of CirrusMD.

According to Nathan Treloar, president of Orbita “Telehealthcare systems are taking center stage.” Mobile devices allow for a rich database that can be leveraged to improve user experience.

Josh Garner, CEO of Becklar, said that "90 percent of the 600 alarms we might receive daily are false. Using AI technology, we can weed out the gunk."

AI technology has also been used to perform wellness checks.

“One third of users had behavioral and physical needs,” said Altorfer, and ”sentiment analysis has become adept at identifying suicidal patients." AI technology has advanced to be able to analyze biomarkers indicating depression and difficulty breathing.

Healthcare workers have also benefitted from a mobile approach. These technologies act as a “triage center," said Garner, speeding care for patients.

“Data provided by 5G is a godsend to first responders,” said Tad Reynes, regional vice president of healthcare solutions at AT&T. “EMS workers can send real time images to those waiting in the ER,” drastically decreasing treatment time once patients arrive.”

Amazon has participated in the healthcare surge as well.