Health IT, Hospitals

Which health tech trends will make big bucks in 2015?

The world of technology is growing at a rapid pace, nothing new, but next year […]

The world of technology is growing at a rapid pace, nothing new, but next year could involve some major cashing in for some health tech industries. With the help of some leading analyst firms, Business Insider put together a list of the trends that are predicted to be really booming next year.

As far as health is concerned in the list, smartwatches will dominate over the fitness wearables, employees will join group wellness programs, 3D printers will continue to grow and healthcare will become an app.

Smartwatch vs. fitness wearables:

“In 2015, half of those who wear smart wristbands will choose a smartwatch instead, Gartner predicts. Fitness wearables will sell 68.1 million units in 2015, down from 70 million units in 2014, with smart bands accounting for 17 million and smartwatches (that cost more than $149) accounting for 21 million. The wearables market is expected to generate $7.14 billion in 2015, up from a predicted $5.17 billion in 2014, according to Statista.

Fitness groups at work:

“Employees will also head online for fitness with their coworkers — one in five of all workers will be involved in company-sponsored wellness programs, including company fitness bands, by the end of 2015, IDC says. Programs, devices, and apps that support business/employee/group fitness are ripe to become a big thing.”

3D printers continue to boom:

“Worldwide shipments of 3D printers are expected to grow 98% in 2015, followed by a doubling of unit shipments in 2016, Gartner predicts. 3D is already changing manufacturing, but it will soon be an option for every business that needs to prototype anything, not to mention new areas like medicine. The global 3D printing market will grow from $2.5 billion in 2013 to $16.2 billion by 2018, Canalys predicts.”

The move towards digital gets real for hospitals:

“In 2015, hospitals are going to start going digital, IDC predicts. By 2018, 65% of interactions with healthcare organizations will be done via mobile devices, and by 2018 70% of them will have apps, offer wearables, do remote health monitoring, and even offer virtual care. Hospitals will also figure out how to analyze all the data those apps generate to make them more efficient.”

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