The COVID-19 pandemic left a lasting impact on communities and economies worldwide. In its wake, healthcare has become a top priority as the challenges of navigating the pandemic exposed pressing systemic gaps. This situation, along with other factors like a challenging regulatory environment, are proof that the industry is in need of a fresh new direction.
Life sciences companies have responded to this call, developing innovations that are transforming the modern medtech landscape. Here are five key highlights from 2021 so far:

1. Information security

Telehealth is on the rise, and with increasing amounts of patient data online, information security remains as crucial as ever. Recently in the UK, the NHS has come under scrutiny as it plans to share data with third parties for research and planning purposes. The initiative follows suggestions that the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was hampered by lack of data sharing and access. Whilst the goal of seamless data sharing to enable higher quality healthcare should be a high priority, careful consideration is required on how to do this securely. The importance of cyber security has increasingly been front of mind for healthcare services in the UK, since the WannaCry outbreak brought hospitals to a standstill for days in 2017. 

1. AI and analytics

AI and analytics have proven invaluable in automating processes, providing insight on patient care, streamlining operations and enhancing decision making. With lockdown orders and social distancing measures limiting the number of employees working on-site, AI and analytics enable companies to maintain safe working conditions for employees working through virtual channels. The global AI in healthcare market grew from $4.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $45.2 billion by 2026, driven in large part by the need to expedite COVID-19 vaccine and drug development.  

1. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

With COVID-19 imposing continued social distancing and limiting face-to-face contact, the development and adoption of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has accelerated over the past year. There is vast potential for innovation in this area. Telemedicine is picking up speed, while connected wearables, sensors and devices are soon to follow, allowing for the collection, analysis, and secure transmission of crucial patient data across a connected framework of health systems and services. In fact, the IoMT market globally is predicted to grow 24.6% between 2021 to 2028. 

1. Data integration platforms

With the explosion of big data from a range of different sources across the life sciences sector and healthcare organisations, there is a pressing need to organise and make sense of the valuable raw data being generated. At the beginning of the year, for example, NHS Digital developed a national imaging database to identify patterns and variations of COVID-19 in UK patients. 
Ming Tang, national director of data and analytics, NHS England, recently commented: “We’re about to embark on another [reorganisation] with the health bill that’s due to pass through parliament in the coming months… This is requiring a big change in the way that we use data, the way that we have to share data and the infrastructure that we will need to put in place, both from a policy standpoint, infrastructure standpoint, and also processes.” Data integration in UK healthcare will continue to be a key trend throughout the rest of 2021. 

1. Cloud content management

With many employees transitioning to working from home during pandemic lockdowns, companies are accelerating their digitalisation journey as part of their disaster recovery and business continuity efforts – and healthcare organisations are no exception. COVID-19 also disrupted nearly every aspect of the clinical trial ecosystem, with 67% of healthcare experts planning to use decentralised clinical trials in the future as a result. According to IDC, healthcare is the leading industry in terms of spending on cloud solutions. 
The opportunity for individuals to access their personal medical information more easily in the cloud also give patients greater control over their own healthcare. While cloud computing has the potential to improve the quality of healthcare services and reduce costs, data security remains an area of key consideration. When managed correctly, the cloud can be incredibly secure – but organisations need to implement the correct solutions and processes to protect critical information at scale. Ferdi Steinmann, global industry strategist, life sciences at OpenText