Digitization in medical technology: Opportunities and risks

The demands on modern health care are constantly increasing and present the local health system with major challenges and fundamental changes. The measurement of health data, electronic medical records, communication between doctors and hospitals via an online platform or video consultations are some examples of digital technologies that are currently revolutionizing the German healthcare industry. The basis for the digitization of medical technology is the medical data of the insured, which is exchanged between doctors, patients and any other service providers using innovative communication and information technologies. In addition to its high requirements, digitization in medical technology represents a great opportunity to make the healthcare system much more efficient through new diagnostic and treatment options as well as personalized care. At the same time, it also makes it easier for individuals to manage their health more effectively and in a user-friendly manner. Digitization offers many opportunities, but also risks, especially in the area of ​​data protection. Ultimately, it is important to weigh up which side is predominant on an individual and social level.

When it comes to the digitization of medical technology, the German healthcare system is far behind on the international level. In other countries, the use of telemonitoring, video consultation hours and electronic patient files have long been common practice. To date, these options have not been used much in Germany. But why is that? The circumstance described cannot be justified by the fact that there are no innovative ideas and concepts, quite the opposite. There are numerous companies in this country that have dedicated themselves to the digitization of medical technology and have already been able to develop new ideas and solutions. However, these have not yet made it into the standard care of statutory health insurance and are therefore simply not usable for the individual. In order to advance the digitization of medical technology in Germany as well, the Federal Ministry of Health has decided on a wide variety of measures. For example, since January of this year health insurance companies have been obliged to provide electronic patient files for their insured persons to voluntarily provide. Demographic change and the explosion in treatment costs are among the greatest challenges in the German healthcare system. The digitization of medical technology can help here. So far it has only been possible to increase the quality of care for individuals or to reduce costs for the general public. This problem can be solved with the help of digital innovations. This ensures high-quality and cost-effective care for all insured persons. People in structurally weak areas also benefit here by having access to medical expertise through telemedicine solutions.

The key technology of these projects is artificial intelligence (AI). This offers various advantages that go far beyond traditional diagnostic and clinical techniques. AI learns from digital health data and is thus able to recognize patterns at an early stage. In this way, it increases the quality of medical care and at the same time helps to keep the costs of the health system as low as possible. In diagnostics, AI helps doctors to identify diseases more precisely and earlier. It gives the healthcare system the opportunity to offer patients better medical treatment by consolidating information, creating time-saving administrative tasks, increasing the efficiency of disease diagnosis and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations. Possible sources of error, such as unnecessary double treatment, can also be avoided this way. Remote monitoring of patients is a new innovation in the healthcare industry. The centralization of laboratory results and patient data improves the quality of healthcare significantly. Medical technologies such as improved monitoring systems, convenient scanning devices and less invasive surgeries enable the patient to live longer and healthier lives. The secret of providing high-quality health care in the digitization of medical technology lies in the safe application of the new technologies. In particular, ergonomics and usability as well as graphical user interfaces play a decisive role. Medical design deals with corporate product design and processes in the medical sector. Its goal is to provide the best possible support for the users of the products, such as doctors and clinic and practice staff. Therefore, the service providers in the field of medical technology design are developing products that are intended to make the handling and flow of processes smoother, taking hygiene into account. Thanks to these numerous projects, possible mistakes are avoided and medical care is of a higher quality.

So it can be said that progressive digitization of medical technology saves lives. Furthermore, it represents an opportunity to deal with the local shortage of skilled workers. According to a PwC study, there will be a shortage of at least 400,000 full-time employees in Germany by 2030. Incidentally, this shortage of skilled workers is already being felt by the insured. Complaints are being heard more and more frequently that doctors are taking less and less time for their patients and that the waiting time for a specialist appointment is becoming endless. Digital technologies such as AI or assistance systems contribute to the fact that doctors and nursing staff are noticeably relieved of administrative tasks and documentation as well as diagnostics and everyday practices.

With the advancing digitization of medical technology, there are also concerns. Many patients fear that their data will not be adequately protected by doctors and hospitals. Data protection is generally understood to mean that personal data is protected against misuse and other unauthorized storage and processing. In the medical environment, there is also medical confidentiality, which requires particularly strict data protection. In the healthcare system, vast amounts of personal and disease-related data are collected every day. With the progressive digitalization of medical technology and the resulting increasing networking of structures with each other, the so-called telematics infrastructure, it is therefore important to secure this highly sensitive data with suitable personal and institutional data protection measures. The E-Health Act and the Digital Supply Act regulate how the digitization of medical technology is implemented legally and thus also in practice.

The telematics infrastructure enables pharmacies, clinics, general practitioners and specialist practices as well as care and rehabilitation facilities to communicate with each other more and more. Thanks to the digitization of medical technology, they can digitally call up all the necessary data for the medical care of the patient within a very short time. Patients must agree to this data exchange beforehand. The doctor treating you can store all information for emergencies and an electronic medication plan on the electronic health card. The most important thing with all these digital innovations is that patients retain sovereignty and control over their data. If a patient passes the electronic health card on to the practice staff, they proactively consent to the use of their data at that moment. For further data releases, it is also necessary to enter a secret PIN that the patient has received in advance from their health insurance company. Nothing works without the prior approval of the insured person, for example enabling the digital exchange of information between two practices. If a doctor wants to access medical data, for example on a patient's health card or electronic patient file, the electronic health professional card and the associated PIN must be used. In addition, the patient must have previously approved access to the electronic patient file for this medical practice.

Data exchange, for example between two practices, is encrypted within the telematics infrastructure. This protects the data against unauthorized access. The encryption of the e-mails and health data ensures that only the intended recipient can read the data. The messages are forgery-proof and identity-verified. All data queries from the electronic health card and the electronic patient file are saved and can thus be understood by the insured person. All systems and programs used for this must have been approved by Gematik and tested according to the specifications of the Federal Office for Information Security. This ensures that the technology is up to date.

The digitization of medical technology is progressing at high speed. Regardless of whether it is an app that can be prescribed, the electronic health card or the electronic patient file: the design of medical devices and innovations such as these enable patients to keep an eye on their own health data at all times and to decide on their own use how it is used. The secure and tamper-proof exchange of personal data is crucial here. Therefore, the digitization of medical technology and healthcare can only succeed with holistic data protection measures. The basis for this is the telematics infrastructure as a platform for secure data exchange. Usability industrial design also plays a major role in medical design in order to create an ergonomic and user-friendly product.

Digitization of medical technology therefore makes it possible to diagnose diseases more quickly and thus better control or cure them. Furthermore, it offers an opportunity to adequately counteract the shortage of skilled workers and urbanization. However, it is also clear that Germany is far behind in the digitization of medical technology compared to other European countries. Due to the administrative and legal implementation hurdles, there are sometimes only isolated solutions that make holistic communication and networking difficult. Even with all the right considerations regarding the use of personal data, a picture emerges in which the benefits of digitization in medical technology outweigh the risks. Ultimately, however, it is an individual decision that is up to each person, since no data exchange can take place without prior consent. If you have any further questions regarding the complex of topics relating to the digitization of medical technology, you are welcome to contact Held + Team at any time.