Operating rooms will become infused with artificial intelligence in the coming years, with interoperability and partnerships fueling growth.
Thirty-five percent to 45 percent of operating rooms (ORs) in the US and beyond will become integrated with artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies by 2022, according to a recent Frost & Sullivan analysis.
AI, virtual reality, and other advanced tools will enable ORs to use intelligent and efficient delivery options to improve care precision. Robotic-assisted surgery devices (RASDs) will play a key role in driving the $4.5 billion US and European hospital and OR products and solutions market to $7.04 billion by 2022, the analysis said.
ORs currently account for about 60 percent of a hospital’s revenue, Frost & Sullivan noted. Because surgery is a collective effort among surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and others, disruptions in the workflow can cause a ripple effect and disrupt OR and staff schedules. Moreover, communication failures or human errors can contribute to adverse patient events and result in poorer outcomes.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
AI and other tools can help optimize processes in the OR. Advanced technologies will have a significant impact on OR workflow solutions, with visualization solutions like camera systems and display monitors increasingly being implemented in ORs, as well as instrument tracking devices and integrated workstations.
Additionally, the availability of home care devices will help ORs deliver healthcare services through secondary facilities, allowing providers to expand the scope of care across geographies.
“By 2022, 35 percent to 45 percent of ORs across the world will become integrated ORs. After 2030, with the availability of multiple home care devices, ORs will shift toward a hub-and-spoke model, with the OR being the hub,” said Bejoy Daniel, Senior Industry Analyst, Transformational Health.
“Approximately $30 billion worth of integration opportunities are likely to become available to healthcare and non-healthcare companies by this period when ORs make the transition from regular rooms to an integrated environment.”
While the current OR services market is highly fragmented, analysts said that stakeholders could expand growth by focusing on data exchange efforts and care coordination. Interoperability and cybersecurity will be the main implementation hurdles for integrated ORs.
“Currently, the priority for vendors is to analyze the available data and facilitate connectivity for device integration. The aim is to interpret, synchronize, and coordinate data to achieve optimal OR results,” noted Daniel.
“Data interoperability will help analyze past and present data to predict future health outcomes and patient wellness index for optimum use of resources. The shift in favor of data and algorithms will fuel the algorithmic business and endow businesses with a competitive edge.”
Stakeholders should also foster partnerships with medical device and technology companies to help deliver products and services across a larger customer base. Organizations will likely increase their investments in predictive analytics tools and other technologies that can help forecast which patients are at risk of adverse events, such as infections or readmissions.
“Solutions that offer predictability and indicate wellness index for efficient patient flow will see increased demand among hospitals,” the analysis said.
Advanced tools like AI-powered robots have already shown up in several areas of the healthcare industry, including room disinfection, supply chain management, and drug delivery. Going forward, these new technologies could help provide better care for patients and lead to more efficient care at lower costs.
“Hospital ORs across the world need a collaborative/integrated care model to deliver efficiency and cost,” the analysis said.
“From a patient perspective, it is critical to manage and minimize hazards in the OR setting and adopt an efficient approach to risk reduction.”
Date: July 10, 2019
Source: Health IT Analytics
