We’ve all been through a rough couple of years. And though this may seem like a huge
understatement for some, the fact is that despite all of the negative drawbacks from COVID-19,
some industries have come out with positive changes.

In March of 2020, the world felt the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And since that time
we’ve all had to endure gross political upheavals, regulations, mandates, and a host of other
issues. But one industry that was significantly changed by COVID-19 was the healthcare
industry.
<p class="normal"><span lang="EN">Many professionals who work with a <a href="https://versacreative.com/healthcare-digital-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #1155cc;">marketing agency for healthcare providers</span></a> can tell you that recent events have caused the healthcare industry to shed old practices and implement new features when it comes to treatment and patient care. And this is just the tip of the spear when it comes to change in healthcare.</span></p>
In this post, we’ll explore a few of the positive side-effects of the pandemic that have changed
the healthcare industry in 2021.
<h2>Easier Access to Treatment</h2>
One of the main problems with healthcare in the past was the relentless wait-time that a patient
would have to endure just for an initial visit to diagnose symptoms. And everyone remembers
what this scene was like:

You walk into your doctor’s appointment 15 minutes easily as suggested. You fill out paperwork
that you’ve probably already filled out before, and you sit and wait. Your appointment was for
11:15 am, but you look at the full waiting room and the clock is showing 12:00 pm.

And this is the typical scenario for most patients. But with <a href="https://www.inbusinessworld.com/digital-workplace/">digital workspaces</a> becoming more popular across the country, and with COVID-19 changing the game, telemedicine has begun to be used more frequently at hospitals across the country.

With telemedicine, a patient can go online and have a virtual meeting with a primary care
physician and be diagnosed, be given a treatment regimen, and be prescribed medication all
from the comfort of the home.
<h3>Use of AI</h3>
Most people think of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and think of science fiction movies and the
doomsday scenarios that come along with them. But we’re far from having machines take over
the world at this point in the game, thankfully.

But the use of AI in healthcare has become much more robust in recent years. And COVID-19
has played a major role in this advancement.

Today, in the United States, there’s still a lot of skepticism and concern over the new <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 vaccine</a>, and this is largely due to the speed at which it was made available. But the reason why we were able to produce a vaccine so quickly is because of AI.

AI software made the critical process of isolating particular genes and proteins take days
instead of years. And without AI, the human race would still be without a vaccine for COVID-19.
<h2>The Surge in Medical School Applications</h2>
In order to provide healthcare for a large population, you need to have willing and active
participants working in the healthcare system.

And because of the crisis that the healthcare industry came under during the rise of the
pandemic, reports have shown that there has been a near 20 percent increase in nursing and
medical school applications nationwide.

The truth is, many veteran nurses and healthcare professionals were shocked by the onslaught
of the pandemic. And as a result, many made lateral moves into different roles within
healthcare.

Some moved into smaller clinics, and others took on administrative roles. Regardless, this has
opened the door for the surge of new professionals who feel a calling to help those in need in a
time of crisis.

COVID-19 has changed the lives of everyone across the globe. The pandemic has changed the
way we work, the way we live, and the way we socialize and travel. And we’re still not out of the
woods as of 2021. But hopefully, we’re nearing the end of the crisis, and better days are ahead
for everyone.