How the IT and Health industries are much more connected than you may think

Think IT is just for the Tech world? Think again. The fourth industrial revolution is here and it’s opening up a whole world of possibilities all around us, especially when it comes to healthcare.

Devices are connecting quicker than ever with convenience and efficiency at the top of everyone’s medical to-do list. Never has there been such a need for sensors and devices that can either collect data, offer advice or take action on a variety of medical needs.

Healthcare industries are staying on top of these trends to see what role the Internet of Things, also known as IoT, will play in health services and just how it can help. From remote care options to data collection to identifying symptoms in real time.

What’s so unique about IT and the health industries?

Put your hands up if you’re wearing a Fitbit, Apple Watch or some other version of step counting, heart monitoring, calorie counting consumer wearable. We’re imagining a sea of digitally enhanced hands shooting up. 

Aside from the fact that you’re keen to look after your own personal health, it means that you are already embracing the use of IT in the health arena. Now imagine the possibilities of this on a much greater level.

In 2017, PwC released a report entitled ‘What doctor?’. This report surveyed a whole host of people, over 12,000 across 12 different countries to be exact, to look at their attitudes towards AI and robotics in the health industries. A key finding showed that “The proliferation of consumer wearables and other medical devices combined with AI is also being applied to oversee early-stage heart disease, enabling doctors and other caregivers to better monitor and detect potentially life-threatening episodes at earlier, more treatable stages.”

The report also highlighted the changing attitudes towards IT and health industries with a key finding showing that “there is a growing enthusiasm among consumers to engage in new ways with new technology for their health and wellness needs, and when connected to the internet, ordinary medical devices can collect invaluable additional data.”

From the ability to provide remote care, quicker and more accurate diagnosis, and further insight into symptoms and trends, IT is embedded in every aspect of the health industry. This offers patients much more control over their individual treatment plans and general lives. Wondering how you get involved in such pioneering work? Let’s take a look at the roles…

What kind of digitally advanced healthcare jobs can you get involved in?

These days, nobody has time for laborious and time consuming paper based systems, especially doctors with back to back appointments. So it’s out with the old and in with the digital new. Starting with…

VA Healthcare Content Creator

Voice-based virtual assistants have already set up home in most of our personal and professional lives but in the healthcare industry, such soothing tones like Alexa, Cortana and Siri look set to become the go-to support service for a variety of medical needs. From booking appointments and creating schedules to looking after the needs of elderly patients in care homes, the possibilities are endless.

Currently, those who sit behind content creation for such modern-day VA needs are developers. But as these continue to evolve, the developers will also need to, well, develop, in the form of passing the medical baton to specific healthcare specialists like you. Look at it this way, a patient tells Doctor Alexa they’re struggling with their mental health but there’s no guarantee any additional at-risk checks will be carried out. This means it will be essential for accurate and relevant content to be penned.

3D Printing Specialist

From the humble eye wash cup to prosthetic limbs and synthetic bladders, 3D printing has gone from strength to strength since the 80s. Equipment is becoming more readily adopted by the healthcare industry, and all sorts of live cells and “organoids” are being created for live tissue transfers. And what about the polypill? A type of multi-layered pill with the ability to hold more than one type of drug for certain patients who require different types of medication all at the same time.

With medical advancements such as these, this means a whole new breed of printing technicians with prototyping and 3D software design skills will need to step up to the printing plate. By getting involved in such an evolving role, you could be responsible for generating tissue and helping burn and accident victims get some new skin.

Medical Scribe

Writing up patient notes can take up an awful lot of what could be, crucial time spent on their patient. This is where advancements in tech come in. AI and voice recognition will see such a timely task being automated in the not too distant future. But that doesn’t mean people like you won’t be needed to help. In fact, human proofreaders will be required to ensure such robotic hands have created such accurate documentation to ensure only the safest patient outcomes.
 

Ethical Hacker for Health Data

Hacking happens all over the world, and as it goes, across all sorts of industries. As the healthcare arena ramps up their involvement with AI and the IoT, this means that hackers focused on specific health data will have more data options to choose from.

From connected devices in the home to smart hospitals, individual medical records are valuable to these types of hackers for a variety of reasons. From the usual reasons such as identity theft too much darker medical practices such as organ transplants on the black market. This means there’s no better time to get ethical hacker certified and fight the good fight against cybercriminals coming for your health records.

The health industry is just one of many exciting industries that IT, coding and cyber security professionals can get their hands on. Are you looking to upskill or expand your tech skills? Get in touch with our expert tech career consultants today for a free, impartial consultation call.