Exclusive: Data-Driven Innovation Shaping Healthcare Industry Growth

The healthcare industry in the Middle East is growing rapidly, with healthcare expenditure among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries projected to reach US$135.5 billion by 2027. What is driving this rapid growth? Several factors are at play: an ageing population, growing demand for advanced treatments and medical procedures, and patients’ expectations of quality care.

In response, the healthcare sector has been undergoing significant digital transformation. Whether it is the use of digital health records, AI, wearable technologies, digital twins, or other innovations, the health sector is embracing technology to improve patient care and meet patients’ expectations.

While it may be tempting to think that simply using cutting-edge technologies is sufficient, successful organisations are those that recognise the importance of data. Data plays a crucial role in the digital journey, whether the goal is early intervention, patient personalisation, or intelligent decision-making.

Nirmal Vemanna, Senior Product Manager, Tealium

Patient Data Unification

An abundance of patient data is generated every day. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, wearable devices, CRM systems, and other sources all store and generate critical patient information. Each of these systems is built for a specific purpose and is not equipped to communicate with others. However, there needs to be a mechanism to consolidate data from these disparate systems so that healthcare providers can fully understand their patients’ needs, pain points, and expectations.

Unified patient profiles, such as those developed using Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), can offer a comprehensive and up-to-date view of each patient. Without such a consolidated view, healthcare providers risk operating with incomplete information, leading to undesirable outcomes such as a disjointed patient experience, lack of personalisation, and missed opportunities for timely intervention. By leveraging CDPs to create unified patient profiles, healthcare providers and other stakeholders can benefit in the following ways:

1. Personalised Patient Care
2. Remote Patient Monitoring
3. Operational Efficiency
4. Regulatory Compliance

Personalised Patient Care

Once patient data from various sources and devices has been unified, healthcare providers can use this data to create and deliver personalised treatment plans that take into account each patient’s preferences, medical history, and lifestyle.

CDPs can also help healthcare organisations enhance their communication and patient engagement efforts. Personalised reminders regarding medication, appointments, and lifestyle changes can be generated and shared with patients to improve treatment adherence.

Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote monitoring devices are on the rise in the Middle East, creating an opportunity for healthcare providers to extend care beyond hospitals and clinics to patients’ homes.

One way to improve patient experience is by making it easy for patients and caregivers to derive value from the real-time insights generated by these smart devices. For example, allowing a patient to view their blood glucose level before and after their insulin dose enables them to see the benefits of treatment in real-time, increasing engagement and adherence.

Another key benefit of remote monitoring is the early detection of medical conditions. By monitoring a patient’s health in real time and identifying anomalies, timely interventions can be made by alerting the patient’s healthcare provider or caregiver.

Operational Efficiency

With the patient care ecosystem comprising multiple systems and channels, automating various workflows, data transfers, and tasks can significantly reduce administrative overhead for organisations.

For example, if a patient is under the care of multiple providers and specialists, automatically aggregating patient data from various systems ensures that every provider works from a single, up-to-date view of the patient’s medical history and health needs. This eliminates the need for manual data transfer for care coordination.

Similarly, appointment scheduling, patient reminders, and follow-ups can all be streamlined using a CDP, allowing organisations to focus on what truly matters: improving patient outcomes.

Regulatory Compliance

Healthcare regulations have been evolving globally in recent years. For example, in the US, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has become stricter since 2022, with new forms of patient data now considered sensitive.

In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has introduced higher fines for data breaches and increased enforcement.

The Middle East must also address these challenges. For instance, the UAE Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 governs how healthcare providers, institutions, and other entities handle health information. These organisations must take appropriate measures to comply with the law.

With more devices and touchpoints generating patient health information, the risk of data breaches increases. Healthcare organisations would benefit greatly from a robust data foundation that provides end-to-end control of patient data. This includes having an integrated consent framework, restricting access to sensitive patient data, and managing how patient information is shared with other entities. Ensuring full control of patient data is the only way to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance.

Challenges and Considerations

While data holds immense potential for transforming healthcare, there are also challenges. Despite the openness with which the healthcare sector has embraced digital innovation in many parts of the Middle East, particularly in the UAE, several healthcare entities continue to rely on legacy IT systems. This prevents organisations from modernising healthcare to meet the increasing demand for quality care. Lack of interoperability between various systems further compounds this problem. Costs associated with adopting new systems also present challenges.

Whether you are a healthcare organisation just beginning your digital transformation journey or looking to unlock the full potential of digital innovation, you do not have to do it alone. Vendors and trusted advisors can help address challenges related to interoperability, patient data unification, integration of legacy and new systems, and regulatory compliance. A secure and flexible data framework, with CDPs at its core, can facilitate this transformation.

By addressing these challenges, healthcare organisations can unlock valuable insights into their patient population, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance patient experience through early intervention and personalised treatments. This will lead to better health outcomes and a more resilient healthcare system. The future of healthcare lies in the strategic use of patient data, and the Middle East is well-positioned to lead by example.