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Holograms: Science Fiction Meets Reality

Remember when technology brought celebrities back to life and stage with a hologram of Tupac graced the stage at Coachella in 2012 or more recently in Vegas, you could go to An Evening Whitney Houstonlong after her passing? These mind-blowing (yet unsettling) moments showcased the futuristic potential of holograms.

Fast forward to today, and believe it or not, similar hologram technology is making its way into hospitals. Crescent Regional Hospital in Lancaster, Texas recently began offering patients the option to see their doctors remotely via a hologram.

The impact of this: This type of technology has the potential to create more accessibility to providers, especially in rural areas where there are gaps in care due to physicians shortages. However, the personal feel and nuance of physical interaction we experience with in person care, or even with telehealth, is still lacking in this technology.

Where opportunity lies: While the technology lacks in its ability to create a personal connection in care delivery, it may have potential when it comes to simpler interactions or brand experiences in hospitality services such as patient check-in or hospital wayfinding. While we don’t think you can expect to see a hologram near you any time in the near future, we do think it’s an interesting development and perhaps a more “out there” example of how technology could change our interactions with consumers.

AI in Healthcare: Optimism and Skepticism

2024 findings from Deloitte’s Consumer Health Care survey revealed that while consumers are optimistic about AI's potential to address healthcare challenges like access and affordability, adoption remains flat, and trust has decreased. On one hand, 66% of people believe AI can reduce wait times and lower costs. On the other, only 37% are currently using AI for health purposes, citing trust issues as a major barrier.

The impact of this: While our organizations or we as marketers may be exploring how to effectively use Generative AI, the average consumer is still making broad assumptions about it’s benefit, applications and trustworthiness in healthcare.

Where opportunity lies: As healthcare marketers and communicators, we need to be both transparent and educational in how our organizations are using AI and it’s value. A key part of establishing trust will be clearly identifying how personal data is used, collected and safeguarded.

Key Takeaway

Technological advances have the ability to change our world and industry at a pace we’ve never seen before. Keeping our pulse on how these can change the experiences and services our organization delivers is critical to managing our brands, reputation and trust.

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With the rapid advancement of technology like holograms and AI in healthcare, how do you see these innovations reshaping the patient experience and trust in healthcare services? Let us know at nonormal@bpdhealthcare.com.