How data insights are putting patients in the driving seat of their health

Paul Johnson, CEO of Radar Healthcare discusses how increased access to data insights is empowering us to improve individuals’ health as well as outcomes in social care.

Today, healthcare insights are in the palm of our hands. COVID-19 has certainly played its part here.

It’s no surprise that amidst the uncertainly of the pandemic, we craved facts.

Chris Whitty’s charts at government briefings were default daily viewing.

As a nation, we saw the value of real-time data insights about health.

Data helped us understand the consequences of our actions, in terms of rates of infection and how we could minimise risk through social distancing and isolation.

And we wanted more of it.

The wearable medical devices market is expected to grow to over $60billion in 2027.

From sleep patterns and step counts through to monitoring symptoms of menopause, brain training and mental health, we’re tracking it all.

Thanks to technology, the tools and insights needed to proactively manage our health are no longer limited to a healthcare setting or appointment time.

This is particularly significant for the care of some of the most vulnerable in society – our aging population.

The 2021 Census revealed that there are over 11 million people aged 65 older in England and Wales. Falls pose a significant risk to this group.

Technology can be used to monitor subtle changes in weight, hydration levels, gait and more.

Bringing together insights from various data sources enables trends to be identified about what’s happening in the build-up to a fall, where and when falls most frequently happening.

Even something as seemingly simple as hydration. Monitoring care home residents’ fluid intake is challenging.

From sensors attached to water bottles to devices on the skin that measure the body’s water concentration, there are plenty of tech-led ways to monitor fluid levels and decrease the risk of de-hydration, making for healthier and happier residents.

Radar Healthcare is passionate about integrating data insights to create a comprehensive picture of patient health; the software solution uses AI and machine learning to analyse data which leads to organisations learning.

And when healthcare providers understand the roots of the problem, they are better equipped to reduce the risk and prevent health crises from happening, ultimately leading to positive improvements for patients.

In this way, digital transformation in healthcare has prompted a more patient-centric way of working.

But what do these insights mean for the rest of the population?

Whoever you are, health data insights can help improve outcomes. They show us the consequences of our actions.

Measures such as tracking heart rate, food eaten, and quality of sleep can show us where to improve.

Living with chronic conditions can be made more manageable too.

As an example, for someone with diabetes, continuously monitoring their glucose levels ensures the correct insulin can be administered.

Features such as medication reminders and hormone trackers are useful tools to manage daily care, spot problems as soon as they arise, and reduce the risk of further complications.

Patients are no longer entirely reliant on doctors to give them information about their health. Rather, personal healthtech gives real-time insights about health and how behaviour impacts it.

On an individual level, these insights support the effective management of conditions and empower us to be champions of our own health.

But at a large scale, the impact of health data insights promises to be incredibly powerful.

Around 30 per cent of the world’s data volume is being generated by the healthcare industry. On top of that, wearables capture 2-5 GB of data about a person’s activity each day.

And approximately 320 million consumer health and wellness wearable devices are estimated to have been shipped worldwide in 2022.

Now that’s a colossal dataset!

Imagine the fascinating insights that could be gathered from tracking healthcare trends on a global scale.

Fast forward to 2033, we could be holding a decade’s worth of health data in our hands.

To find out how Radar Healthcare is helping health and social care providers make a difference by providing actionable insights with its all-in-one incident, risk and compliance software visit www.radarhealthcare.com