The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that provoked the COVID-19 pandemic, was bound to change not only the daily lives of people around the world but also the future of different industries. The disruption in the healthcare industry was greater than any other — this industry found itself amid the crisis. As medical professionals and scientists around the world struggled to provide people with the best chances of combatting the virus, new technologies and medical breakthroughs appeared. Although now used especially in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, these new technologies might also help with other medical conditions in the future.
Rapid developments, like the use of telemedicine in diagnosing and treating different diseases, helped healthcare providers to deliver better, more cost-effective services to the people. The rapid development and deployment of diagnosing tools and vaccines proved essential not only in allowing doctors and medical professionals to treat several people but also in preventing some from catching the virus in the first place. With the most dangerous medical threat since the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 on their hands, governments around the world had to come up with new strategies of preventing and treating the disease, while also protecting their strained healthcare systems.
The good news is, however, that many efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic will probably reshape the future of healthcare for the better, providing medical professionals and patients around the world with new ways of fighting illnesses.
Bringing healthcare services closer to people
Telehealth means using digital data and communication technologies, like computers, mobile devices, and apps, to bring healthcare services closer to the people who need them. One advantage of doing so is the fact that by using telemedicine, medical professionals can avoid hospitals becoming overwhelmed. This can be especially useful during periods that tend to bring numerous people to the hospital, like the flu season. According to a recent study, telehealth is extremely effective in reducing the costs, pain, and suffering that all come with multiple chronic diseases. Moreover, telehealth is also useful in managing healthcare crises with the help of new technologies.
However, according to the study, there are also important barriers that telehealth needs to overcome. Although more than 90% of Americans do have access to the internet, many people do need better broadband connectivity to gain access to the best telemedicine has to offer.
The rapid development of new tests and vaccines
Before any vaccine, test or treatment can be used in preventing or treating a disease, it must go through rigorous testing. Like all drugs, vaccines and treatments developed for COVID-19 have undergone extensive clinical trials, having been tested on numerous groups of volunteers before being given to actual patients. However, unlike previous vaccines, tests, and treatments, the ones developed for COVID-19 have appeared sooner than expected. This was possible because the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis created the need for rapid global cooperation in vaccine research and distribution, as well as mutual efforts in developing new tests and treatments.
Although the rapid development of new tests, treatments, and vaccines is undoubtedly a great thing, low vaccine confidence is still one of the world’s most important public health problems. Explaining new medical technologies to normal people is never easy, and the abundant spread of fake news during the COVID-19 pandemic might make things even more difficult in the future.
Exceptional collaboration in research
It’s no secret that COVID-19 triggered exceptional collaboration in research, bringing together scientists, medical professionals, and even governments around the world. According to the OECD’s Science and Technology Innovation 2021 report, more than 75,000 scientific papers on COVID-19 were published during the first year of the crisis, with both the US and China being major contributors. This shows not only the scientific interest in the matter but also the increasing possibility that governments with different if not opposing views on numerous issues could collaborate even more on future research, especially when confronted with a common enemy – like a global pandemic or a new disease.
During the crisis, scientists have not only collaborated between themselves, but they have also been called upon to provide expert input on public health for their governments, or to explain scientific facts to the general public. This may be another step forward when it comes to making decisions regarding public health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous disruptions to the daily lives of people everywhere, and the consequences for the global economy remain hard to assess, for now. However, the crisis also proved that many changes were needed in healthcare and scientific research. With the right lessons learned during these hard times, people may enjoy a brighter, safer future.
