[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":125839,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Digitization in healthcare is arriving so fast that it\u2019s hard to keep track. In fact, venture capitalists poured $5.1 billion of funding into digital health companies in the first half of 2019, with the largest sums going to analytics, telemedicine and mobile apps.Investment priorities have shifted in the second half of 2019 to aspects like digital mental health and data-driven personalization. However, no matter where investment dollars are going, all aspects of digital healthcare have one thing in common\u2014the need for ample processing power.If digital healthcare is going to fulfill expectations, it must be able to provide instant feedback on massive datasets. Currently, huge files like medical images are sent to the cloud for analysis. Moving the information back and forth creates latency issues\u2014this translates to physicians having to wait longer for pertinent information. If the healthcare industry can\u2019t overcome these issues, digitization will not have the impact that it could potentially have.

Fortunately, edge computing offers the computing power and instant feedback providers need, and it can be integrated directly into many of the technologies moving toward the market. With the lightning-fast processing speeds offered by edge computing, physicians and other health professionals get immediate access to the insights they need, so patients don\u2019t have to wait for care to continue. It\u2019s the ideal situation for everyone, but it all depends on whether the industry embraces edge computing.Thus far, the industry has not been averse to edge computing specifically; the aversion applies to healthcare technology in general. Healthcare is a traditional sector that\u2019s resistant to change, particularly around transformative technologies.Being cautious about immature technologies makes sense. However, edge computing is beyond that point \u2014 so much so that it integrates with other technologies and processes quite easily. Similarly, having the capabilities of edge computing makes it easier to implement and integrate all other tech associated with digital healthcare.Take a cancer diagnosis, for example. New types of testing collect large amounts of data to improve the diagnosis. With edge computing, oncologists can get the analysis back immediately, along with highly detailed medical images. A process that used to take hours or days may take just minutes, thanks to the superior processing power inside each provider\u2019s office, rather than that contained in a distant cloud.In that way, edge computers are like accelerators, and they\u2019re becoming accessible at exactly the right time. Consider Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, a smart hospital currently under construction (to the tune of $1.6 billion) in Toronto. Multiple systems within the facility will communicate with each other, and medical technology will be linked and synced. All of this will inevitably generate massive amounts of data, and managing it\u2014as will most healthcare initiatives dependent on large amounts of data\u2014will be impossible without edge computing.Some may object to the advancement of this technology, suggesting that edge computing will kill jobs for professionals who analyze health data, but those fears are unfounded. Ultimately, edge computing is about enabling and empowering human caregivers, and it does that in a way no human can replicate\u2014by quickly turning massive amounts of data into something digestible.It\u2019s important to understand that edge computing is simply a means to an end. The capabilities of edge computing are not what matters. The capabilities of present and future medical tech, combined with edge computing, are more important. Having enough processing power to manage huge data volumes enables this technology to produce incredible outputs\u2014diagnoses, medical images, drug discovery and more\u2014in far less time.It will still be some time before edge computing becomes ubiquitous. There are still issues around affordability and accessibility, but they\u2019re likely to be resolved quickly after the healthcare industry rallies around this technology. To varying degrees, most healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies and biotech developers realize they have a looming problem in terms of data volumes.Healthcare data is full of value, but there aren\u2019t enough data scientists to extract it. As the industry increasingly relies on leveraging data, expect edge computing to advance rapidly. Even if a provider or company is not the direct user of this computing technology, everyone benefits from its presence in the industry. Therefore, it\u2019s likely to be omnipresent 20 years from now.At that point, healthcare will look drastically different\u2014medical devices and smart sensors will be capable of collecting information about our health around the clock. Technology empowered by edge computing will analyze that data, then alert patients and doctors as soon as an issue appears. It\u2019s a paradigm shift for medicine that could save lives and extend life spans.","saveContent":"Digitization in healthcare is arriving so fast that it\u2019s hard to keep track. In fact, venture capitalists poured $5.1 billion of funding into digital health companies in the first half of 2019, with the largest sums going to analytics, telemedicine and mobile apps.Investment priorities have shifted in the second half of 2019 to aspects like digital mental health and data-driven personalization. However, no matter where investment dollars are going, all aspects of digital healthcare have one thing in common\u2014the need for ample processing power.If digital healthcare is going to fulfill expectations, it must be able to provide instant feedback on massive datasets. Currently, huge files like medical images are sent to the cloud for analysis. Moving the information back and forth creates latency issues\u2014this translates to physicians having to wait longer for pertinent information. If the healthcare industry can\u2019t overcome these issues, digitization will not have the impact that it could potentially have.

Fortunately, edge computing offers the computing power and instant feedback providers need, and it can be integrated directly into many of the technologies moving toward the market. With the lightning-fast processing speeds offered by edge computing, physicians and other health professionals get immediate access to the insights they need, so patients don\u2019t have to wait for care to continue. It\u2019s the ideal situation for everyone, but it all depends on whether the industry embraces edge computing.Thus far, the industry has not been averse to edge computing specifically; the aversion applies to healthcare technology in general. Healthcare is a traditional sector that\u2019s resistant to change, particularly around transformative technologies.Being cautious about immature technologies makes sense. However, edge computing is beyond that point \u2014 so much so that it integrates with other technologies and processes quite easily. Similarly, having the capabilities of edge computing makes it easier to implement and integrate all other tech associated with digital healthcare.Take a cancer diagnosis, for example. New types of testing collect large amounts of data to improve the diagnosis. With edge computing, oncologists can get the analysis back immediately, along with highly detailed medical images. A process that used to take hours or days may take just minutes, thanks to the superior processing power inside each provider\u2019s office, rather than that contained in a distant cloud.In that way, edge computers are like accelerators, and they\u2019re becoming accessible at exactly the right time. Consider Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, a smart hospital currently under construction (to the tune of $1.6 billion) in Toronto. Multiple systems within the facility will communicate with each other, and medical technology will be linked and synced. All of this will inevitably generate massive amounts of data, and managing it\u2014as will most healthcare initiatives dependent on large amounts of data\u2014will be impossible without edge computing.Some may object to the advancement of this technology, suggesting that edge computing will kill jobs for professionals who analyze health data, but those fears are unfounded. Ultimately, edge computing is about enabling and empowering human caregivers, and it does that in a way no human can replicate\u2014by quickly turning massive amounts of data into something digestible.It\u2019s important to understand that edge computing is simply a means to an end. The capabilities of edge computing are not what matters. The capabilities of present and future medical tech, combined with edge computing, are more important. Having enough processing power to manage huge data volumes enables this technology to produce incredible outputs\u2014diagnoses, medical images, drug discovery and more\u2014in far less time.It will still be some time before edge computing becomes ubiquitous. There are still issues around affordability and accessibility, but they\u2019re likely to be resolved quickly after the healthcare industry rallies around this technology. To varying degrees, most healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies and biotech developers realize they have a looming problem in terms of data volumes.Healthcare data is full of value, but there aren\u2019t enough data scientists to extract it. As the industry increasingly relies on leveraging data, expect edge computing to advance rapidly. Even if a provider or company is not the direct user of this computing technology, everyone benefits from its presence in the industry. Therefore, it\u2019s likely to be omnipresent 20 years from now.At that point, healthcare will look drastically different\u2014medical devices and smart sensors will be capable of collecting information about our health around the clock. Technology empowered by edge computing will analyze that data, then alert patients and doctors as soon as an issue appears. It\u2019s a paradigm shift for medicine that could save lives and extend life spans.","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

How edge computing will accelerate the data revolution in healthcare

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