Healthcare never stands still, and new innovations, as well as external factors, are driving continuous change. Here we look at the five biggest healthcare trends in 2023.

1. THE TOP 5 HEALTHCARE
TRENDS IN 2023

2. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
THE TOP 5 HEALTHCARE TRENDS IN 2023
Healthcare never stands still, and new innovations, as well as external factors, are
driving continuous change. Here we look at the five biggest healthcare trends in 2023.

3. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The world is a very different place than it was ten years ago, and nowhere is this more
evident than in healthcare. The aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, combined with
the financial downturn and an acceleration in the adoption of technology and
digitization, have dramatically changed the landscape for everyone, patient or
practitioner.
Here’s my overview of what I believe will be the most important trends of the next 12
months.

4. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN HEALTHCARE
The market for Artificial intelligence (AI) – specifically, machine learning (ML) tools in healthcare is
forecast to top $20 million in 2023. Various AI-aligned technologies, such as computer vision, natural
language processing, and pattern recognition algorithms, are already deeply embedded in the
healthcare ecosystem and will continue to be adopted as evidence of their usefulness grows
throughout 2023.
Some examples of areas where AI is used include drug discovery, where it can assist with predicting
outcomes of clinical trials and potential side effects of new drugs, as well as analysis of medical
imagery, which involves using computer vision algorithms to spot early warning signs of disease in x-
rays or MRI scans. It has also successfully been used to detect and treat neurological disorders,
including Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.

5. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Outside of frontline clinical work, AI also has applications in clerical work, such as
processing insurance claims and management or analysis of medical record keeping.
It can also be used to analyze data collected from patient wearables or in-home sensors
used in virtual hospital settings (more on that in my next trend) to provide early warning
or predictive diagnosis of various conditions. Put together, all of these use cases indicate
that AI and ML will continue to be a prominent trend in healthcare throughout the
coming year.

6. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
REMOTE HEALTHCARE – VIRTUAL HOSPITALS,
HEALTHCARE COMMUNITIES, AND TELEHEALTH
Healthcare delivered remotely increased significantly during the pandemic. Even now that it’s
generally safe to resume face-to-face routine appointments, many patients and providers have
realized that for many conditions, care can be provided more efficiently and cost-effectively at a
distance.
Remote healthcare falls into a number of different categories. There is an increase in home-based
care driven by evidence that shows that a familiar environment and proximity to a family can
have a positive effect on patient outcomes, as well as being hugely cost-efficient compared to
inpatient care.

7. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Then there is telemedicine, which covers everything from video calling your doctor
rather than visiting their surgery to remote surgery, where a surgeon carries out
surgery on a patient in a remote location using robotic technology.
Another remote healthcare model is the virtual hospital ward, which involves
practitioners in a centralized location providing care for a number of remote patients,
often with related conditions. Another initiative involves enabling patients to
complete more of the procedures that are related to their illness and treatment at
home before being admitted to hospital. In the UK, for example, it’s planned that this
will be rolled out in 2023 to all patients facing hospital stays for surgery.

8. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Additionally, there is a growing understanding of the importance of online communities,
which may be patient-led rather than practitioner-led, or may be run by charities linked
to specific health conditions, where users can come together to share help and advice
related to their treatment and recovery. Some examples of these include Patients Like
Me, Care Opinion, and cancer.org.
With the cost of delivering in-person healthcare continuing to rise, and ongoing
shortages of medical practitioners in many countries, it’s a safe bet that all varieties of
remote healthcare will be a growing trend in 2023.

9. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
RETAIL HEALTHCARE
According to researchers at Forrester, the amount of healthcare business conducted through retail
outlets will double during 2023. This is becoming an increasingly visible trend as retailers like Walmart,
Amazon, and CVS offer healthcare services such as blood tests, vaccinations, and medical check-ups
that have traditionally been delivered by hospitals, clinics or doctors’ practices.
This trend will become more prominent as global economic conditions lead to squeezed budgets at
traditional frontline primary care facilities. This is compounded by Retail healthcare providers
leveraging consumer expectations of streamlined customer experience and choice to create services
that patients will increasingly find a more convenient and better value than traditional primary care
delivery.

10. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
As Forrester’s research puts it, “In 2023, patients will choose retail health for their
primary care needs as health systems, constrained by inadequate resources, fail to
match retail’s elevated patient experiences.”
Retail healthcare providers are typically more accessible and may not require
appointments to be booked in advance, compared to traditional healthcare providers.
They are also less affected by the shortages of trained clinical staff that many countries
are currently experiencing – a problem that is only predicted to worsen.

11. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
WEARABLE MEDICAL DEVICES
Wearable devices will be increasingly used by individuals during 2023 to track their own health
and exercise activity, as well as by clinicians to monitor patients remotely. The "Internet of
Medical Things" has rapidly expanded in recent years from simple devices designed to track vital
signs such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels to smart watches capable of sophisticated scans
such as ECGs, smart textiles that can detect blood pressure and predict the risk of heart attacks,
and smart gloves that can reduce the tremors suffered by patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
As well as physical illness, a growing emphasis is being placed on developing wearable devices
capable of monitoring and detecting signs of mental illnesses.

12. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
A study was published this year showing how physical indicators such as activity levels, sleep
patterns, and heart rate can be used to detect when individuals may be at risk of depression, and
we may start to see medical wearables incorporating some of this functionality soon.
In 2023, we will increasingly see wearable medical devices acting as “edge” devices, which means
they will be equipped with processors and capable of utilizing in-device analytics rather than
requiring that data is sent back and forward between the device and the cloud to be processed.
This has two main benefits: The first is privacy, as sensitive patient personal data never has to leave
the device. Secondly, there's speed – which is critical in the case of devices designed to detect and
warn of potentially life-threatening conditions in real time.

13. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
PERSONALISED HEALTHCARE
During 2023, patients will have more opportunities to receive healthcare delivery that is personalized
specifically to them. This includes the concept of precision medicine, where drugs and other
treatments are specifically tailored to a group of patients – based on factors such as age, genetics or
risk factors – rather than administered on a one-size-fits-all approach.
The most advanced and precise forms of personalized healthcare take into account a person's genetic
information or genome and can help healthcare practitioners predict how effective specific drugs will
be or whether they are likely to suffer from side effects. AI and ML algorithms are sometimes used to
assist with these predictions.

14. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The term personalized healthcare is also sometimes used in relation to moves to allow
patients to make more choices about how their care is planned and delivered. This
usually involves drawing up a personal treatment plan for an individual, considering
their own circumstances, opinions and beliefs when making choices about how and
where they should be treated.
As is also true in industry and the wider economy outside of healthcare, every form of
personalization is likely to be a major trend throughout 2023.

15. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
To stay on top of the latest on new and emerging business and tech trends,
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YouTube, and check out my books ‘Tech Trends in Practice’ and ‘Business
Trends in Practice, which just won the 2022 Business Book of the Year award.

16. © 2021 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker,
futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and
companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data
more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as
artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is
a frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for
Forbes. Every day Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers
and shares content that reaches millions of readers.

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