How the life sciences are using digital to change the way we practice medicine

Skye Gould/Tech Insider

Scientific and technological innovation are at the heart of improving the way doctors treat illness and disease.

When it comes to digitization, the healthcare industry is moving forward, albeit slowly, navigating a highly regulated field that deals with massive amounts of sensitive information.

One of the most notable efforts in this area has been the more than decade-long push to adopt electronic health records, the digital version of each patient's medical history.

Though the technology is still far from ideal, we might finally be getting somewhere: according to a report released this month by PwC Health Research Institute, about 90% of hospitals have at least basic EHRs, up from 9% a decade ago.

And healthcare providers and patients are getting increasingly connected to one another, and the amount of information that's collected is growing all the time. 

Here's a look at how digital technologies are impacting other areas in life sciences and healthcare, along with some of the obstacles that remain.