Innovation in diagnostics – A boom in healthcare sector

Currently, healthcare is driven by digital technology with most medical equipment running on websites, mobile applications, and other digital platforms. With more private players coming forward, this field is estimated to grow with annual growth of 25 percent during this five-year tenure to become much more diverse and vast.

Major innovations in diagnostics
3D Printing. The increased use of 3D printing technology has evolved in the recent years, providing the surgeons with a game-changing technology in diagnostics and to study human anatomy. The ultimate aim of 3D printing is to create organ replacements for the patients. Mostly, doctors suggest 3D printing as it is very cost effective and saves lot of time at the time of surgery, and results are found to be much better. As it is only a prototype model, which is used for diagnostic purpose, cheap material can be used to print the model and hence the cost is low. Prior to 3D printing, CT scans and X-rays on plates were used only for portrayed 2D model.
India is at par with the rest of the world in terms of medical advancements. This technique is still going to develop in the country. Twenty cases per year end up using 3D printing in India and abroad.

Robotic O Arm. Robotic O Arm system is an imaging system which is designed to meet the workflow demands of surgical environment, used for various purposes like surgeries of spine, cranial, and orthopedics. Currently, the most advanced for robotic guidance is for spinal surgeries. This involves an imaging system which acts as a GPS for the surgeon during surgery for accuracy and precision. O Arm is a boon for the surgeons as they can plan, implement, and confirm the success of the surgery as soon as the patient leaves the operating room. Without hindering the safety, this visioning system helps the surgeons in the procedure with better exactness, lowering risks.

In India, robotic technology is widely accepted as it is a time-saving method to perform robotic surgeries. Many doctors are unaware about it but very soon they will come across it and improve.

Data integration. In recent years, diagnostic has got a boom which has changed the entire complexion of the industry drastically. To meet expectations, various laboratories have introduced LIS (laboratory information system) as well as medical analytical devices with more sophisticated and accurate data management. These medical devices can easily integrate with LIS to manage a huge bulk of data starting from initial ordering, testing, and giving reports to the patients. With the introduction of analytics and software, it has become easy for the patients to get their reports and other information on time.

Genetic testing. Genetic testing is known as DNA testing, which is a medical test that helps in identifying genes, chromosomes, or protein conditions. This test helps in suspecting a genetic condition or helps in determining a person’s chances of getting a genetic disorder. With the availability of new genetic screening, most of the people are helped in identifying abnormal conditions at an early stage. The future of genetic testing may include editing genes to make new ones out of them. The global predictive genetic testing and consumer genomics market is expected to grow around 2.6 billion by 2025. In India, genetic testing is done with a purpose when the patient is not getting adequate or correct results.

Molecular biology. Molecular biology is the application of molecular approaches, i.e., DNA and RNA. It is done to understand the functioning of protein and its regulation in normal and abnormal cellular responses. The application of principles of molecular biology is to treat a disease or modify organisms for commercial use, which is known as genetic engineering. The advancement in molecular biology directly impacts clinicians in better diagnosis and treatment of diseases. With these advances, clinicians can easily identify patients with specific diseases like Alzheimer’s or other specific viruses. This includes add-on test, replacing an existing test, after the current diagnostic of the patient. The new diagnostic in medical framework has paved a gateway for testing and research work that is more reliable and correct.