2016 was another exciting year in terms of health IT. There were new developments, transformations, and issues across every department. There isn’t a sector that is not making new developments all the time and advancing the way things work. Companies that rely on technology, especially in the digital sector require constant updates to make sure their businesses run efficiently. On top of this, the notion that we need better cybersecurity seems to have started to sink in, and plans were made to implement more secure systems. Like every year, 2016 helped the advancement of health IT, and 2017 will no doubt do the same.  There are a few health IT trends that you can certainly look forward to in the coming year, and five of them are listed here for you to enjoy. A spokesperson for yourhearing.com told us, “IT is not only integral to the running of most businesses, but with advancements in patient care and data, even more so in today’s healthcare industry.”

1. Upgrades

2017 has already been named the “Year Ahead in Health IT”, which is promising for the coming 12 months. Recent surveys showed that many organisations plan to upgrade technology this year, making things faster and more secure than ever. Here are some figures in relation to the sectors that organisations plan on upgrading:

• 51% analytics
• 52% security
• 44% engagement
• 44% population health
• 31% EHRs
• 24% remote patient monitoring

2. Quality

So much of a patient’s care takes place using technology now, and so it is vital that it remains upgraded and of excellent quality. It is used to store medical records, medicine administration times, and can even assist in the rehabilitation of patients. These examples are only a few of the applications technology has in the medical world. 2017 will see the increased implementation of excellent quality, as well as improvement of the current systems. Pushing towards quality will ultimately lead to perfection – benefitting patients and staff alike.

3. New Developments 

It almost goes without saying that 2017 will bring new technologies to hospitals and medical facilities across the globes. As teams work tirelessly to update and advance what already exists, as well as developing new technologies altogether, we are sure to see an increase in new tech across the new 12 months. This is especially true as research and development are becoming more popular fields to enter within the health IT industry.

4. Security

In a way, this branches off from the upgrades. Last year saw a sudden realisation that we need better cybersecurity for health organisations, and in 2017 it is already set to increase massively. There have been several crises in different countries around the world in 2016, and since then work has begun on better and more secure systems. Ones that protect medical records and details with a lot more care and precision than before. Not even a month into 2017, we are already seeing improvements in countries such as the USA, especially after the Ransomware Crisis last year.

5. Patient Experience 

The patient experience is also important in the world of health. It is important that patients have good experiences with their health teams and any technology that may be used during their care. In 2017, an increasingly large number of hospitals and organisations have pledged to work to improve this. It is hoped that the continued implementation of population health systems will help to improve this, as well as the continued use of technology in things like patient rehabilitation.

Health organisations have embraced technology over recent years, and it has become an integral part of their structure. Health IT trends are there to keep things running smoothly, but also to implement and design new and upgraded forms of tech and programs to make things easier as well as more secure. 2017 is set to be an exciting and transformative year for health IT, with a lot of the emphasis on a continued drive for excellent quality as well as better cybersecurity for patients and staff. It will be interesting to see what the next 12 months bring.