The future of health care is becoming increasingly exciting and is marked by very favorable trends and innovations. The need is definitely there, and the industry has incredible potential. The target demographics for the industry are diverse as there are not only about 73 million people who are insured and waiting for digital innovations, but there are also specialists and multipliers/advocates as well as PTA's involved, so communication is very relevant for both B2B and B2C settings. It is crucial when setting up a start-up, to think about one’s communication strategy. After all, the entire debate around healthcare, COVID-19 tracing apps and eHealth applications is centered on protecting sensitive patient data, security and trust. Building an image that inspires trust is a key factor in serving all target groups effectively. As communication experts for eHealth, we can guide you through this process and are as sure as you are that our future lies in the innovative eHealth products and applications of tomorrow.
The healthcare system will be fundamentally restructured over the coming years and there is an enormous potential for exciting innovations, especially when taking into account other developments such as the increase in chronic diseases associated with changing lifestyles and a rapidly aging global population. The pandemic has led to a boom in online medical services and further accelerated the digitalization of the health industry, especially with a focus on telemedicine, mobile health and medical technology. This shows how agile the German Medical Association has been in developing 12 demands on digitalization. We have taken a closer look at these trends and summarized them:
As face-to-face doctor visits have been hampered by a number of legislative restrictions, the introduction of telemedicine in the form of online consultation services has undoubtedly helped home-bound patients to seek medical advice over the internet. In other words, the acceptance of telemedicine applications has increased and medical coverage can be better ensured by allowing doctors to talk to patients about suspicious symptoms via telemedicine as a first step.
Mobile health technologies are also experiencing an upswing, with emergencies in particular requiring an innovative way of delivering care. In particular, mobile health technologies allow patients to be monitored remotely. Moreover, home patients can even be equipped with wearable devices that continuously track and identify any signs of worsening illnesses via heart rate monitoring, oxygen saturation levels, and activity levels etc. Using a daily questionnaire in an app, healthcare providers can effortlessly access patient information through a dashboard and thus can more easily determine the assignment of priority treatment, or immediate medical action in severe cases. In addition, some post-operative patients may require readmission to hospital due to the occurrence of health complications. Since most of these suspected cases can be monitored and effectively treated without hospitalization, clinicians are increasingly turning to mobile health technologies to minimize patient readmissions and improve overall health outcomes. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases, coupled with an increasingly aging population, will have a profound impact on healthcare systems in the coming decades. Against this backdrop, assistive technologies that make it possible to continuously monitor the health of older people will become even more important in the future.
Medical technology is a broad sector that encompasses the use of any technology that can save or improve the quality of life of people suffering from a variety of health problems. Simply put, medical technology can range from familiar items such as syringes and hearing aids to more complex devices such as medical robots, body scanners, intraocular lenses and joint replacements for knees and hips. In China (but also in Belgium, Italy and South Korea), for example, medical robots are being used to assist frontline staff by helping to clean and disinfect hospital wards, to take patients' temperatures, to distribute medical supplies to patients, and to deliver food to patients, thus creating a reduction in the workload of medical staff.
We believe that communication in health is everything - not only the communication that takes place between a doctor and their patient, but also the communication about and surrounding them. This starts with addressing sensitive topics such as infertility and impotence about chronic diseases such as diabetes and ends with addressing the different target groups in different, targeted approaches. The goal should be that doctors are inclined to recommend a suitable product or application and that patients want to receive it as treatment. The focus of any eHealth communication should remain on the patients. As the focus of health journalism lies with product stories and emerging technologies, a great first step is to become approachable for the media with your own start-up and product story. A proactive approach about the latest product developments and consistent storytelling help to build trust. This will determine who will prevail in the long run in what has traditionally been a conservative and sensitive market. For today’s eHealth companies and providers of digital health applications, this means that they must deal intensively with the Digital Health Care Act and procure any necessary certifications for their products to be recognized as officially regulated medical devices. Every product that is included in the Digital Health Applications Regulation has a certificate that needs to be communicated to patients and healthcare professionals. This is exactly where we can provide expert support in communicating in a clear and informed manner. Get in touch with us, we would love to partner with you on your journey here!
monoceros is a strategic communications agency based in Berlin. We develop customized, target-oriented PR campaigns for digital disrupters, startups and tech giants. The basis for our outstanding results: Over ten years of PR experience on the corporate and agency side and the motivation to establish an agency with the highest standards. On our monoceros blog we regularly highlight essential topics of our PR work and report on the latest developments from the digital economy.
