COVID-19 has affected every industry in the entire world. As a global pandemic, the effects of the virus have been far-reaching. Perhaps no industry has been impacted as much as the healthcare industry.

Let’s take a look at how the healthcare industry has been affected by COVID-19, and what changes the industry will make for the future.

COVID-19 Has Changed the Career Outlook for Healthcare Practitioners

While a career in any medical profession has always been stable, lucrative, and in very high demand, the coronavirus has increased the demand for skilled healthcare workers, and made it clear that healthcare workers are truly essential workers who are on the front line in hospitals. If you are on the fence about starting a career in medicine – whether as a doctor, nurse, or something else, jump in and go for it. The need for healthcare workers will always be there, and the coronavirus has proven that the need will only increase, especially in times of healthcare crisis and healthcare emergencies. Even if you are not directly on the front lines in healthcare, your skills are still in demand, as the coronavirus has created a shortage of skilled healthcare workers to replace those who are working directly with patients, if they become infected with the coronavirus.

COVID-19 Has Placed the Focus on ICU Bed Utilization

Hospital crisis teams were developed in order to get the most out of ICU beds. With COVID-19, traditional emergency rooms are being used and reorganized in non-traditional ways. Outpatient surgery centers have now become emergency rooms, and other areas of hospitals have been restructured in order to deal with the challenges of treating patients with COVID-19. If you are new to the field of healthcare, or you are considering a career in healthcare, you can read new case studies pertaining to how COVID-19 has reshaped the healthcare landscape. These new case studies will be used as an educational tool for decades to come. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from what went wrong when treating patients diagnosed with the coronavirus, and what went right in terms of how ICU beds, ICU ventilators, and other supplies were used in the ICU in the early months of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Has Led to a Reevaluation of Medical Treatment Strategies

Medical treatment strategies was an area that was in flux for a while during the early days of the virus. Since COVID-19 was a new virus, healthcare practitioners had to learn the best way to treat patients. There was a lot of trial and error as healthcare practitioners adapted to the challenges of treating patients diagnosed with coronavirus. There is no doubt that the treatment strategies for COVID-19 will be put into medical textbooks and studied for decades to come, leading to better preparedness in the unfortunate event that another pandemic occurs which may be similar to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Has Led to an Emphasis on Preventative Measures

The vaccine to prevent COVID-19 has not yet been developed. Drug companies are furiously working to create this vaccine, which could go a long way to returning the world to a “new normal.” More than ever before, the pharmaceutical industry is taking off. Money is being poured into these companies for work towards the vaccine. 

For more information, take a look at the Avidity Medical Design Blog. You also might want to consider enrolling in a course offered by Avidity Medical Design Academy.