2024: More Emotions, New Challenges in Health and Digitalization

Technological innovation and medicine have an intrinsic relationship that is constantly evolving. The incorporation of data analysis technologies and information systems could improve decision-making in clinics and hospitals, resource management, and public health policy planning.

The last year has been momentous and has brought us an unprecedented transformation ini how we conceive and experience healthcare from the perspective of patients and healthcare professionals.

In Mexico there are about 2.4 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants in the country and if we talk about access to them through the internet, according to Comscore, an internet marketing research company, 46% of Mexicans access health sites through the internet.

While this is a key indicator to place special emphasis on digitalization in the health sector so that more and more people have access to a specialist from the palm of their hand or from their computer, the widespread adoption of new technological tools confirmed what we have been experiencing since 2020: There is an increasing need for health professionals to adopt the digitalization of their office as another tool to streamline internal processes, establish immediate connections with their patients, and have much more visibility on the internet, among others benefits that allow for more accessible and efficient medical care.

What Artificial Intelligence Will Bring

Speaking specifically about artificial intelligence (AI), understood as new technological applications that perform complex tasks that previously required human intervention, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the growing importance of AI being seen as an essential tool to improve the quality of medical care for patients.

The management of medical resources, improvements in diagnosis and treatment and, in general, faster, more personalized and satisfactory medical care for patients has been part of the impact derived from the involvement of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the sector of health.

Artificial intelligence systems have been used to analyze large sets of patient data, allowing for personalized care and more accurate predictions.
It is important to note that the success of digitalization of the health sector also depends on staff training, information security, and the active participation of all actors involved.

As a result, in 2024, the prospects for healthcare digitalization are exciting and challenging. Among the key trends we expect to see in the coming year is the integration of real-time data, which will allow for more effective monitoring of patient health and data-driven decision-making.

And without a doubt, artificial intelligence will continue to play a central role in improving healthcare. Deep learning algorithms are expected to be used to predict diseases, identify effective treatment patterns, and streamline resource management.

However, health data security is critical to this point, so it is expected that there will be a continued focus on implementing robust security measures to protect patient privacy.

Furthermore, it is likely that in a few years the digitalization of the healthcare sector, together with other tools, such as artificial intelligence, will expand beyond traditional medical consultations.

Collaboration between technology companies and healthcare providers will be strengthened in 2024. This strategic alliance will allow the conjunction of technological expertise with medical knowledge, generating innovative solutions that improve patient care and accelerating the development of accurate diagnoses, effective treatments and efficient management systems, while the healthcare industry will provide the clinical expertise needed to ensure these solutions are safe and relevant for patients and healthcare professionals.

However, despite these exciting prospects, we also face challenges. The digital divide is one of the main obstacles to the digitalization of health in Mexico. INEGI says that 25% of the Mexican population is still without access to the internet, and the other 75% may not reflect the reality of the conditions of access and use of the internet, since the study does not take into account factors such as the speed, affordability and security of the connection, nor the digital skills of the users.

As we move forward in this era of digital health, we must remember that the ultimate goal is to improve healthcare and people's quality of life. And we can achieve this by improving the quality of medical services through technology.

More and more technology companies and organizations are already developing innovative solutions, but it will be necessary to analyze the perspectives and challenges that will arise in the field of healthcare digitization, as well as invest in emerging technologies to improve healthcare.

All this with a focus on ethics and equity, to achieve significant advances in the field of digital health in Mexico. What is coming for 2024 is encouraging, but collaboration between health professionals, public and private companies, legislators and society in general will be necessary to achieve successful digitalization of the health sector in our country.