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Key Takeaways from the Webinar – Digital Health Beyond COVID-19: Bringing the Hospital to the Customer

8 minutes, 19 seconds read

The outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 put the healthcare sector into a tizzy. From dealing with a rising number of patients and lack of medical supplies and infrastructure to falling in-patient and out-patient footfalls and elective surgeries; it was indeed a difficult period. The latter affected the business of private healthcare due to their inability to sustain cash flow and fixed costs. However, the healthcare system did come around and in response to the COVID-19, new care packages were introduced which included services such as Medical Kits, App to Check Vitals, Home Delivery of Medicines, Remote Doctor Consultations, Remote Nurse Consultations, Helpline for Query Resolution, etc. to give a meaningful digital health experience.

Post-COVID: Future of Indian Digital Healthcare

The pandemic has been around for quite some time now and we’re halfway through the New Normal. In India, the consumer-led healthcare ecosystem is changing to consumer-led digital health. At-home/doorstep delivery is reducing the number of physical touchpoints. The rapid growth of telemedicine and preventive healthcare apps are some of the driving forces for the Indian Healthtech market which is expected to grow up to $21bn by 2025 (which is only 3.3% of the total addressable healthcare market of $638 Bn by 2025). One of the untapped opportunities that the healthcare ecosystem could look into is providing out-patient insurance for day-to-day doctor visits or health needs.

Key takeaways from the webinar

Here are some takeaways from a very insightful and interactive webinar on Digital Health-

Evolving digital health behavior

During Pandemic: 35% of Consumers are impacted at their jobs, 25% are still saving & stockpiling essentials, 38% are in a ‘hibernating & spending’ state, while the remaining 2% are least affected and will continue their old spending behaviors. Here’s a brief overview of changing patient behavior and benefits of patient-generated data-

Patterns of Consumption and Health-seeking Behaviour

People have certainly become more health-conscious since the outbreak of the pandemic. A major shift in consumer behavior is that now they are data-oriented. Tracking health conditions and using medical records to make decisions via mobile apps is trending. Consumers want ownership of their health data. Amongst at-home consumers (in the last three months) 

  • at least 1 in 3 have used a fitness app
  • at least 1 in 4 have used a telehealth service
  • at least 1 in 5 have consulted with a virtual doctor

Doctors’ digital behavior is evolving too

In India, doctors’ are now finding clinical information and engaging with medical reps digitally. Each general physician on their platform now consults around 100 patients. Doctors too are leaning towards digital health platforms to increase engagement with new prescription influencers and auxiliary stakeholders such as pharmacists (formularies) and insurers. Telehealth apps and e-pharmacies will see a boom in the upcoming months as both patients and doctors are getting accustomed to virtual health trends.

Rise of mHealth Apps

mHealth market in India is expected to touch $2.4B by 2024. mHealth apps are more popular in preventive healthcare space. There are 400,000 mobile health apps in India, for self-monitoring a variety of health data — heart rate, bp, sleep pattern, blood glucose level, etc. Some of the top use-cases of mhealth apps are in the fitness and nutrition areas. Now there’s increased adoption of apps in mental health, e-prescriptions, and diagnostics as more consumers demand door-step services. 

Real World Use Cases for Pre and Post-Op Care

Even though the economy has slowly started to open up, the COVID scare has not yet gone. People are still being cautious about stepping out of their homes. We have seen the maximum usage of mobile apps and door-step services during this period. Demand for home care services driven over mobile applications is on the rise. This has opened up so many opportunities in the digital health space to making healthcare accessible from anywhere for both patients and doctors.

Let’s take a look some of the use cases in Digital Health-

Using AI for Doctor Consultations

Many doctors face challenges in managing high patient volume. Digital self-care tools such as an AI doctor can assist here by coming up with a basic diagnosis and treatment plan. These results are then validated by an actual doctor. 

E.g. around 20% of consultations on 1mg is done by an AI doctor.

Know how Mantra Labs helped PAHOMIQ build and train AI models to enhance their Image processing techniques to allow earlier detection of abnormalities and treatment monitoring.

Digital Mental Health Therapy Chatbots

Mental Health and Emotional Wellness were not considered serious health conditions. But in the light of recent events, with depression and suicide rates going up, detecting mental health conditions early-on has become very important. An AI conversational chat tool can help users by monitoring their moods coupled with self-care exercises for dealing with mental health issues. Furthermore, AI can help give people preliminary diagnoses that open ups treatment options, freeing up resources for mental health providers. AI can even triage patients based on the data it collects from patients which will enable doctors to come up with treatment plans.

Ex: Wysa — App supports and encourages users to achieve defined mental health goals.

ORCHA, the World’s leading health app evaluation, and advisor organization awarded Wysa an overall rating of 93%, including 100% on clinical safety. Wysa has also rated the best app for COVID-19 stress and anxiety.

Digital Lab

Managing digital pathology workflows is a challenge for both patients and doctors as it requires a lot of coordination and is time-consuming. A mobile app with features of a digital lab such as case-based tracking, schedule appointments, extract diagnostic data from pathology reports, receive alerts, prescription, billing & inventory management will help both patients and doctors save time and effort. 

Know more about how Mantra Labs built Manipal’s Digital 360° Patient Management app which included features such as scheduling appointments and uploading medical records. Thus, improving the quality of care and patient satisfaction. 

Mobile Phlebotomist App

Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets have limited access to healthcare services. One way to make medicine and testing more accessible to people in these markets is by mHealth apps. The appointment booking feature can help a phlebotomist to manage online patients bookings. The phlebotomists will collect blood samples following a specific protocol and use bar-coded stickers with patient identification information that they stick to collection vials. This enables the field team to manage home sample collection requests, view daily collection schedules and drop-off points, with geo-location services.

Mantra Labs Five-Factor Model for Digital Health Mobile App Transformation

Building Truly Engaging Apps

There are many healthcare apps in play today running from fitness and nutrition trackers to hospital apps. But, how many truly keep the user engaged? 

Personalization

A one-size-fits-all approach will not engage with the majority of the population due to diverse personas. With features like providing timely & relevant advice will make users feel privileged keeping them engaged.

Digital Nudges 

One of the reasons why Health and Wellness apps are more popular is because they help users to self-monitor their progress. Apps with gentle reminders or notifications act as triggers to get desired results.

Empathy by design 

A deep study into the user behavior through surveys/secondary research can help get qualitative data which is crucial to incorporate into the app. If the app matches the user needs, then they are more likely to stay on it.

Frictionless Touchpoints

Lengthy workflows, frequent pop-ups, and advertisements can create a distraction for a user while on the app. An app should not interfere with a user’s daily routine or disrupt their behavior. 

Gamification

The gamified approach grabs a user’s attention and keeps him interested in the app. A plain layout will wear out a user soon. Gameplay focuses on the user’s attention better.

E.g. Using reward badges for completing virtual exercises, with an added caveat like, “This badge will expire in 6 days. Keep exercising to earn more badges.”

In a nutshell

As we move towards more digitization of the healthcare sector, it is important to determine specific KPIs for mobile apps and digital platforms. Good KPIs will inform the need to change before a material loss occurs. Digital transformation is a multi-year effort, and the return on investment is not always immediate. Data is going to be the key. Turning data into actionable information through advanced analytics will help in a long-term improvement strategy. Ultimately, setting the right business outcomes and working backward to solve the problem areas through technology will help achieve those goals. 

Know more about our work in Digital Health and how we have helped clients such as Suraksha Diagnostics, Abbvie, Religare Health Insurance, and SBI Health Insurance build mobile and web applications improving their operational efficiency and customer experience.

Check out the webinar on our YouTube channel.

Further Readings:

  1. Building Consumer Trust in the Digital Healthcare Era
  2. HealthTech 101: How are Healthcare Technologies Reinventing Patient Care
  3. Virtual health: Delivering care through technology
  4. How Mobile Micro-Health Insurance can unlock ‘Digital for Bharat’?

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AI Code Assistants: Revolution Unveiled

AI code assistants are revolutionizing software development, with Gartner predicting that 75% of enterprise software engineers will use these tools by 2028, up from less than 10% in early 2023. This rapid adoption reflects the potential of AI to enhance coding efficiency and productivity, but also raises important questions about the maturity, benefits, and challenges of these emerging technologies.

Code Assistance Evolution

The evolution of code assistance has been rapid and transformative, progressing from simple autocomplete features to sophisticated AI-powered tools. GitHub Copilot, launched in 2021, marked a significant milestone by leveraging OpenAI’s Codex to generate entire code snippets 1. Amazon Q, introduced in 2023, further advanced the field with its deep integration into AWS services and impressive code acceptance rates of up to 50%. GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models have been instrumental in this evolution, with GPT-3 and its successors enabling more context-aware and nuanced code suggestions.

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  • Adoption rates: By 2023, over 40% of developers reported using AI code assistants.
  • Productivity gains: Tools like Amazon Q have demonstrated up to 80% acceleration in coding tasks.
  • Language support: Modern AI assistants support dozens of programming languages, with GitHub Copilot covering over 20 languages and frameworks.
  • Error reduction: AI-powered code assistants have shown potential to reduce bugs by up to 30% in some studies.

These advancements have not only increased coding efficiency but also democratized software development, making it more accessible to novice programmers and non-professionals alike.

Current Adoption and Maturity: Metrics Defining the Landscape

The landscape of AI code assistants is rapidly evolving, with adoption rates and performance metrics showcasing their growing maturity. Here’s a tabular comparison of some popular AI coding tools, including Amazon Q:

Amazon Q stands out with its specialized capabilities for software developers and deep integration with AWS services. It offers a range of features designed to streamline development processes:

  • Highest reported code acceptance rates: Up to 50% for multi-line code suggestions
  • Built-in security: Secure and private by design, with robust data security measures
  • Extensive connectivity: Over 50 built-in, managed, and secure data connectors
  • Task automation: Amazon Q Apps allow users to create generative AI-powered apps for streamlining tasks

The tool’s impact is evident in its adoption and performance metrics. For instance, Amazon Q has helped save over 450,000 hours from manual technical investigations. Its integration with CloudWatch provides valuable insights into developer usage patterns and areas for improvement.

As these AI assistants continue to mature, they are increasingly becoming integral to modern software development workflows. However, it’s important to note that while these tools offer significant benefits, they should be used judiciously, with developers maintaining a critical eye on the generated code and understanding its implications for overall project architecture and security.

AI-Powered Collaborative Coding: Enhancing Team Productivity

AI code assistants are revolutionizing collaborative coding practices, offering real-time suggestions, conflict resolution, and personalized assistance to development teams. These tools integrate seamlessly with popular IDEs and version control systems, facilitating smoother teamwork and code quality improvements.

Key features of AI-enhanced collaborative coding:

  • Real-time code suggestions and auto-completion across team members
  • Automated conflict detection and resolution in merge requests
  • Personalized coding assistance based on individual developer styles
  • AI-driven code reviews and quality checks

Benefits for development teams:

  • Increased productivity: Teams report up to 30-50% faster code completion
  • Improved code consistency: AI ensures adherence to team coding standards
  • Reduced onboarding time: New team members can quickly adapt to project codebases
  • Enhanced knowledge sharing: AI suggestions expose developers to diverse coding patterns

While AI code assistants offer significant advantages, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between AI assistance and human expertise. Teams should establish guidelines for AI tool usage to ensure code quality, security, and maintainability.

Emerging trends in AI-powered collaborative coding:

  • Integration of natural language processing for code explanations and documentation
  • Advanced code refactoring suggestions based on team-wide code patterns
  • AI-assisted pair programming and mob programming sessions
  • Predictive analytics for project timelines and resource allocation

As AI continues to evolve, collaborative coding tools are expected to become more sophisticated, further streamlining team workflows and fostering innovation in software development practices.

Benefits and Risks Analyzed

AI code assistants offer significant benefits but also present notable challenges. Here’s an overview of the advantages driving adoption and the critical downsides:

Core Advantages Driving Adoption:

  1. Enhanced Productivity: AI coding tools can boost developer productivity by 30-50%1. Google AI researchers estimate that these tools could save developers up to 30% of their coding time.
IndustryPotential Annual Value
Banking$200 billion – $340 billion
Retail and CPG$400 billion – $660 billion
  1. Economic Impact: Generative AI, including code assistants, could potentially add $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy across various use cases. In the software engineering sector alone, this technology could deliver substantial value.
  1. Democratization of Software Development: AI assistants enable individuals with less coding experience to build complex applications, potentially broadening the talent pool and fostering innovation.
  2. Instant Coding Support: AI provides real-time suggestions and generates code snippets, aiding developers in their coding journey.

Critical Downsides and Risks:

  1. Cognitive and Skill-Related Concerns:
    • Over-reliance on AI tools may lead to skill atrophy, especially for junior developers.
    • There’s a risk of developers losing the ability to write or deeply understand code independently.
  2. Technical and Ethical Limitations:
    • Quality of Results: AI-generated code may contain hidden issues, leading to bugs or security vulnerabilities.
    • Security Risks: AI tools might introduce insecure libraries or out-of-date dependencies.
    • Ethical Concerns: AI algorithms lack accountability for errors and may reinforce harmful stereotypes or promote misinformation.
  3. Copyright and Licensing Issues:
    • AI tools heavily rely on open-source code, which may lead to unintentional use of copyrighted material or introduction of insecure libraries.
  4. Limited Contextual Understanding:
    • AI-generated code may not always integrate seamlessly with the broader project context, potentially leading to fragmented code.
  5. Bias in Training Data:
    • AI outputs can reflect biases present in their training data, potentially leading to non-inclusive code practices.

While AI code assistants offer significant productivity gains and economic benefits, they also present challenges that need careful consideration. Developers and organizations must balance the advantages with the potential risks, ensuring responsible use of these powerful tools.

Future of Code Automation

The future of AI code assistants is poised for significant growth and evolution, with technological advancements and changing developer attitudes shaping their trajectory towards potential ubiquity or obsolescence.

Technological Advancements on the Horizon:

  1. Enhanced Contextual Understanding: Future AI assistants are expected to gain deeper comprehension of project structures, coding patterns, and business logic. This will enable more accurate and context-aware code suggestions, reducing the need for extensive human review.
  2. Multi-Modal AI: Integration of natural language processing, computer vision, and code analysis will allow AI assistants to understand and generate code based on diverse inputs, including voice commands, sketches, and high-level descriptions.
  3. Autonomous Code Generation: By 2027, we may see AI agents capable of handling entire segments of a project with minimal oversight, potentially scaffolding entire applications from natural language descriptions.
  4. Self-Improving AI: Machine learning models that continuously learn from developer interactions and feedback will lead to increasingly accurate and personalized code suggestions over time.

Adoption Barriers and Enablers:

Barriers:

  1. Data Privacy Concerns: Organizations remain cautious about sharing proprietary code with cloud-based AI services.
  2. Integration Challenges: Seamless integration with existing development workflows and tools is crucial for widespread adoption.
  3. Skill Erosion Fears: Concerns about over-reliance on AI leading to a decline in fundamental coding skills among developers.

Enablers:

  1. Open-Source Models: The development of powerful open-source AI models may address privacy concerns and increase accessibility.
  2. IDE Integration: Deeper integration with popular integrated development environments will streamline adoption.
  3. Demonstrable ROI: Clear evidence of productivity gains and cost savings will drive enterprise adoption.
  1. AI-Driven Architecture Design: AI assistants may evolve to suggest optimal system architectures based on project requirements and best practices.
  2. Automated Code Refactoring: AI tools will increasingly offer intelligent refactoring suggestions to improve code quality and maintainability.
  3. Predictive Bug Detection: Advanced AI models will predict potential bugs and security vulnerabilities before they manifest in production environments.
  4. Cross-Language Translation: AI assistants will facilitate seamless translation between programming languages, enabling easier migration and interoperability.
  5. AI-Human Pair Programming: More sophisticated AI agents may act as virtual pair programming partners, offering real-time guidance and code reviews.
  6. Ethical AI Coding: Future AI assistants will incorporate ethical considerations, suggesting inclusive and bias-free code practices.

As these trends unfold, the role of human developers is likely to shift towards higher-level problem-solving, creative design, and AI oversight. By 2025, it’s projected that over 70% of professional software developers will regularly collaborate with AI agents in their coding workflows1. However, the path to ubiquity will depend on addressing key challenges such as reliability, security, and maintaining a balance between AI assistance and human expertise.

The future outlook for AI code assistants is one of transformative potential, with the technology poised to become an integral part of the software development landscape. As these tools continue to evolve, they will likely reshape team structures, development methodologies, and the very nature of coding itself.

Conclusion: A Tool, Not a Panacea

AI code assistants have irrevocably altered software development, delivering measurable productivity gains but introducing new technical and societal challenges. Current metrics suggest they are transitioning from novel aids to essential utilities—63% of enterprises now mandate their use. However, their ascendancy as the de facto standard hinges on addressing security flaws, mitigating cognitive erosion, and fostering equitable upskilling. For organizations, the optimal path lies in balanced integration: harnessing AI’s speed while preserving human ingenuity. As generative models evolve, developers who master this symbiosis will define the next epoch of software engineering.

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