2021 has certainly been pivotal for many industries. With technology advancing exponentially, ESG at the forefront of boardroom agendas and COVID-19 still impacting consumer behaviour, companies are having to adapt, shift, transform and innovate in order to serve new customer needs and trends. As we come to the end of the year, many are wondering whether 2022 will hold more of the same, or whether we’ll see any new, seismic shifts. So, we’ve asked our Partner team to share their thoughts.

For the Healthcare industry, we’ve asked one of our experts, Chris Weiss, to share his insights on what we’re likely to see in the year ahead. What new trends will emerge? What is going to shift? Find Chris’ thoughts below:

The healthcare industry is currently in a state of reactivity, not proactivity, due to the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic. Nearly all available resources are being used up to continue to fight against the COVID-19, and as a result, 2022 trends are likely to reflect this.

Before COVID-19 came to fruition, the industry was more proactive — making progress in combatting some of the world’s most harmful diseases and advancing in the design and refinement of personalised medicine. These trends will continue to be seen in 2022, but the emphasis will firmly be on reacting to the ever-mutating coronavirus — with the adoption of at-home treatment and diagnosis practices, increasing the continued attempt to improve testing and vaccination efficiency.

At-home treatment and diagnosis will see a continued increase

Hospitals will continue to treat patients in the comfort of their own homes, as it’s more efficient and massively reduces the potential spread of infection. It has been a successful practice over the past year while dealing with the surge of patients and protecting staff and other patients.

Tech accessories as a health tool

The refinement of healthcare wearables such as Fitbits and smartwatches may also allow for early diagnosis of diseases. They are already able to monitor many bodily functions, and there is funding available for further research into how they could be adapted to detect and alert the user of any anomalies and potential infections.

AI & machine learning will unlock the value of health data

The benefit of tapping into data has been realised across all industries. As a result, we will continue to see this trend within healthcare in 2022. The ability to use pre-existing information to predict things such as a patients’ response to treatments is key to optimising healthcare productivity. Pharmaceutical companies can then use this data to improve their medication. This data-centric cycle created will be key in pushing the healthcare industry forward, and the acquisition and use of cutting-edge, leading data analytics tools will be key.

Continued investment into testing for and vaccination against COVID-19

With new variants being discovered, including the recent emergence of Omicron, greater resources will be allocated to improving existing vaccines and potentially developing new ones. Testing for COVID-19 has quite literally built businesses in 2021, and these companies will continue to expand and profit off the need for continuous testing to slow the spread and provide much-needed protection for our healthcare workers.

We can help you navigate, react to and respond to these trends in 2022. Get in touch today to talk to one of our experts.