Minsk, Belarus, July 10, 2020 --(PR.com)-- COVID-19 has become the main tragedy of 2020 and possibly of the decade. By the middle of the year, the number of victims has been estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and the number of infected - in the millions. However, coronavirus also became an incentive for the development of technologies, especially in the field it affected the most - in medicine. The following considers five areas of technology development, the demand for which has increased sharply in the health sector in 2020.

Blockchain
The first peak of blockchain hype was at the end of 2017 - the beginning of 2018, when bitcoin was trading at about $20,000 per unit. At that time, specialized media actively discussed options for using blockchain in various fields, including in healthcare. Creating not only a digital but also a cryptographic card of the patient allows controlling data fully. One can access them only with the permission of the attending physician or the patient themselves, and all changes are recorded in the registry, so any falsification or fraud becomes almost impossible.

If blockchain was actively used in the first months of the coronavirus epidemic, it would be possible to track every bottle of disinfectant, every pair of gloves and every mask, and the health systems of many countries would not face a shortage of personal protective equipment. Most importantly, it would be impossible to falsify the number of cases of COVID-19.

Blockchain can also help in processing test data and patient health. Even after the end of the first wave of COVID-19, blockchain solutions introduced to fight coronaviruses more effectively will remain relevant for medical facilities operating in the regular mode.

Data Science
The collection, processing, storage, and exchange of data are important mechanisms in the healthcare system. According to the Stanford Medicine report, legislative guidelines for data exchange between medical facilities in the United States recommend, in particular, the use of APIs that encourage technical compatibility between EHR systems. There is also a noticeable tendency for full access to patients to information regarding their health.

Also, the collection and use of Big Data can help in predicting diseases of given populations and individuals. Using Big Data, one can determine the predisposition of people to become infected with COVID-19 and estimate the potential level of the disease severity. Besides, data analysis will help to trace the connection between various pathologies and diseases, parallels between which have not been drawn before.

Artificial Intelligence
AI is already actively used in medicine. In particular, chatbots made it possible to reduce the burden on medical staff when clinics could not cope with the influx of new patients. Many people expectedly panicked, and all they needed was to get the answer that they were not sick. Chatbots successfully coped with the task of primary filtering: thanks to them, it was possible to reassure millions of anxious people and optimize the testing process.

In addition to simple bots, more sophisticated AI programs that help detect diseases in the early stages have been developed already. AI is also used to analyze data in pathology, laboratory tests, genetics, and other clinical areas. At the same time, AI remains only an auxiliary tool, and setting a diagnosis is still the responsibility of the physician.

Smart accessories
FitBit, Apple Watch, and other similar accessories are already capable of not only reporting the level of user activity but also measuring heart rate, pressure, and even warning about signs of arrhythmia. Smart rings can even detect coronavirus symptoms in 3 days of wearing. Physicians already actively use smart devices to monitor the patient’s condition outside the hospital. The potential of this technology is vast, and every year, the smart devices provide new opportunities. Besides, such accessories are popular with physicians who willingly use them to monitor their health.

5G
The development of 5G technology is a natural process stipulated by the constant growth of the amount of information. 5G is about ten times faster than the previous network version, 4G LTE. A new generation of technology will simultaneously process large amounts of data and improve the quality of connections with servers and cloud platforms. The reliability of telemedicine depends on the speed and quality of the connection. The Internet is a key factor in the development of this area. In addition to setting a high-quality lifestream, 5G allows sending files with x-rays or 3D-MRI in high resolution.

Andersen follows current trends in the development of technology in medicine since Healthcare is one of the key industries in the sphere of the company's interests. Its specialists worked on joint projects with such companies as Johnson & Johnson, Blazenow, etc. All Andersen’s cases in Healthcare and other industries can be viewed on the company’s website.