Will at-home treatments save the global healthcare industry?

When it comes to discussing the failures of healthcare, the US notoriously springs to mind. What other country requires its average citizens to pay $7,151 a year for basic access? And that’s if they’re in a good bill of health.

Things get even worse for a family of four, with the same research from the Milliman Medical Index showing average costs of over $32,000 in 2024. Then, there’s the issue of prescription drugs to contend with, a report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists revealing a 10.2% increase to a record $805.9 billion last year. This is despite Trump’s claims that he would lower costs.

Something clearly needs to change, especially with 66.5% of all US bankruptcies now being attributed to medical bills, according to World Population Review’s data on finance and health.

One might be forgiven for thinking the situation is better elsewhere in the world, across Europe and the UK, for instance, where systems tend to be publicly funded. Nevertheless, there are issues here, too, with long waiting lists, resource constraints, and patient strife when attempting to access treatments and consultations. There are even problems with rising privatisation, all of these factors coming together to exacerbate illness and lower quality of life.

Needless to say, those regions of the world where populations cannot access healthcare at all are in even more dire need of help.

An unexpected saviour

Twenty years ago, the idea of technology replacing doctors would have seemed a little too sci-fi, potentially raising concerns about dystopian society. Yet, we live in a reality where digital innovations have advanced to such an extent that this future is now possible, with wearables, virtual recovery programmes, and remote diagnostics all forming part of everyday life. And our healthcare systems and populations are thriving in response.

This is not to say that tech has – or ever will – fully replace appropriate, face-to-face care. Just that it’s time to embrace a more holistic approach to patient treatment: one where, in addition to seeking remedial action from doctors, people are also encouraged to take proactive steps themselves. Fears can be easily assuaged when we remember that other forms of at-home treatments, like in-person nurse visits, have long been around, as well. This is just a faster, more efficient, less resource intensive way of keeping track and control of symptoms; human teams will still be around if needed.

Restoring patient control and quality of life

Far from feeling neglected by this shift, patients will actually feel empowered. Take the eXciteOSA, for instance. Designed for those who snore or suffer from mild obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), this at-home care can be used during the daytime, fitting seamlessly into users’ lives compared to traditional CPAP machines, which are noisy and need to be used every night. By strengthening tongue muscles, the innovation not only prevents symptoms, but actively targets the root cause of the problem – airway obstruction – thus mitigating issues like daytime fatigue. Patients experience a significant boost in their mental health and life quality, without the need for invasive equipment and frequent medical appointments. That’s better health outcomes, with much reduced stress – all because of at-home treatments.

Of course, these benefits aren’t just limited to snoring. At-home devices can help with everything from managing blood sugar levels to keeping track of vitals that might impact heart health risk. The monitoring provided then allows users to take appropriate corrective action where possible, to improve and regain a sense of control over their own wellbeing and health.

More personalised treatment

People who use such at-home solutions feel less burdened by health anxiety, as well, safe in the knowledge that their assessments of when to seek external help are grounded in data – where any anomalies or worrying results can even be automatically shared with doctors, facilitating more appropriate and immediate healthcare action. Doctors don’t typically spend long with their patients, making it difficult for them to gain a holistic overview of lifestyle and health. When data is continuously coming in from at-home sources, however, they can gain valuable insights that allow them to create more tailored treatment plans and more accurate diagnoses as a result. Readings are also likely to be less skewed, as they are more frequent, and take place in natural settings, rather than clinics, which can induce stress.

This marked difference also means catching concerns earlier on, preventing issues from escalating and putting even more strain on systems to provide long-term solutions. This is a major benefit in terms of costs – for both hospitals and patients.

A shift in mindset

Whilst many of the above benefits have been proven, one oft-overlooked advantage is psychological. When patients regain a sense of control and know that their condition is being taken care of, even in the background, they are much less reactive and anxious. This not only prevents stress from worsening their conditions, but also means they are better able to engage in informed discussions with their doctors. In turn, they gain an even greater sense of autonomy and confidence, because they are actively involved and informed.

For those who require frequent medical treatment – be it because they are chronically or terminally ill – being able to manage things from home where possible can be a critical lifeline. Clinical healthcare settings are often unwelcoming and uncomfortable, and can be difficult and expensive to travel to. At-home solutions are a great way of bridging this gap, with healthcare travelling that distance, rather than the patient who may be tired of being their own advocate. Treatment adherence vastly improves in this context, as barriers are removed, and frequency of interventions can also be upped for the greatest impact.

Active participants

With global healthcare systems failing, it’s time to make patients active participants in their own health. UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer has already called it, hoping to reform National Health Service (NHS) approaches to focus more heavily on prevention than untimely cure. By allowing society’s most vulnerable – the sick, the elderly, the immobile, and disabled – to actively take action to improve their lives from the comfort of their own homes, without prohibitive costs and without the completely debilitating loss of hope that comes from what can be interminable waiting lists, at-home devices may just save otherwise drowning healthcare systems.

It’s not a panacea or a replacement – but, together, it helps.