Why we need greater consumer technology integration in health care

Health care is long overdue for a consumer technology overhaul to bridge the gap between the innovators working tirelessly to improve patient care, and the people waiting anxiously to take advantage of it. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Consumer technology has instrumentally changed our decision-making habits when purchasing a product or service. It is a rapidly growing, evolving, and expanding industry that aims to make the lives of consumers as easy, informed, and efficient as possible. We are increasingly seeing consumer technology dominate across numerous industries, especially throughout the COVID-era which has brought technical and virtual innovations to new heights. But one sector where it is noticeably lagging behind is health care.

It’s quite an incredible, paradoxical thing that for the most important decisions we make in our lives, we have the least amount of resources to make them. When it comes to our consumer decision-making, there is a massive difference between choosing a place to eat, for example, versus deciding whether or not to get a hip replacement. With the current strain on the health care industry, both professionals and consumers are suffering due to stretched staff and resources, less face time and reduced networking. Unsurprisingly, this means consumer-decision making resources in health care are currently very limited.