Cloud to play increasing role in provision of health care, researchers predict

Making use of IT infrastructure in the cloud could help health care providers lower costs and improve care for patients, they said.

"Implementing cloud computing technologies appropriately will help healthcare providers improve the quality of medical services and the efficiency of operations, share information across geographic locations and manage expenditures," Frost & Sullivan said. "The concept can be applied in a variety of ways, including data storage and data loss prevention, maintaining patient information records and authorised sharing of information."

"The advantages that cloud computing provides can change the dynamics of the healthcare informatics industry over time. The need for efficient sharing of information across locations in a synchronised manner will be a key driver for cloud computing in healthcare," it added.

The survey also provided evidence that the drugs market in the world will become more personalised, with drugs increasingly developed and commercialised on the strength of patient "biomarkers", Frost & Sullivan said.

The researchers also predicted further consolidation in the health care and life sciences industry and that new technology would emerge to allow medical devices to be integrated "into a connected platform" in a way which would "enhance the functionality of devices, reduce the man power burden and minimise errors" in health care.

They also said to expect 2014 and beyond to witness growth in the mobile health (m-health) market. Its predictions were based on a survey it conducted of 1,835 business executives based in more than 40 countries around the world.

"The penetration prospects of m-health technologies are significant in the following areas: wireless vital signs monitoring, location-aware telemonitoring systems and Bluetooth wireless technology-enabled health trackers," Frost & Sullivan said. "It is an exciting area of opportunity for healthcare growth and will provide innovative solutions for stakeholders, both providers and patients alike, across the spectrum."

"In addition, as more healthcare IT and patient monitoring tools are integrated, every hospital facility will eventually have to acquire a fully-enterprise wireless solution. The most innovative mobile healthcare solutions that best meet pressing healthcare needs will be adopted as the gold standard," it said.

At a recent event hosted by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, a range of experts debated the potential impact of new mobile technology in health care. Technology and information law expert Matthew Godfrey-Faussett of Pinsent Masons said that uncertainty over who will pay for digital health services is a barrier to the success of the digital health market. However, he explained one business model that could emerge.

"Digital health can help mitigate the effects of chronic disease and allows for regular monitoring of patients from home," Godfrey-Faussett said. "The potential is there to encourage patients to submit data themselves on aspects of their health, and it allows the use of call backs and text prompts to help address issues identified and enable patients to manage problems from home."

"One potential funding model could involve specific digital health solutions being prescribed by doctors for a temporary period, say six months," he said. "This allows the NHS to foot an initial cost which, if the trial proves successful, could then be taken on by the user."