Every year, society sees new technological advances in all areas of life. This is an exciting time to be in healthcare. The wave of technology taking over the healthcare industry is like none before. People want to take control of their health and find alternatives to traditional outlets for obtaining information. Medical professionals are becoming more pressed for time and seeking solutions to lessen clerical work and increase patient care. Patients seek accessibility, convenience, and alternatives to traditional doctor offices. Here are some technology trends in 2025 that will, if not already, alter the healthcare landscape.
Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers have become a part of our daily lives. These influencers have amassed millions of followers, from makeup, relationship advice, and fashion trends to health advice. Influencers have been shaping our perspectives and driving consumer economic decisions valued at hundreds of billions of dollars for a while now and predicted growth continues.
These followers are developing relationships with these public figures despite only ever seeing them on screen. This is known as a parasocial relationship when the relationship is one-sided, and the viewer forms a bond with the media figure. Influencers are trusted advisers despite sometimes not having the proper credentials. It makes sense that people are now seeking influencers for health advice as more and more people take control over what information they consume and steer away from legacy sources. The old ways of obtaining information are no longer trusted.
Only time will tell if this trend benefits society or spreads more misinformation. This shift is likely to shake up the way the healthcare industry approaches patient care in the future.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is not slowing down, and generative AI is increasing. Generative AI takes existing and actual data, learns it, and then creates new data samples based on what it has learned. These models are showing promise in improved patient outcomes and advanced treatments.
Diagnosis: Generative AI can analyze electronic health records (EHR), understand complex health information, propose diagnoses and treatment plans, and aid decision-making by learning patterns in patient symptoms and diseases.
Clinical Documentation: Generative AI can review EHRs and formulate a summary highlighting pertinent patient record information. This task, typically done by the medical professional, can now be done by AI, saving time and avoiding overlooking critical information in the summary.
Customized Medicine: Generative AI is learning patient genetic makeup to analyze patterns in genetic markers and sequences and individualize treatment plans tailored to specific needs.
Patient education: In addition to tailoring treatment to the individual, generative AI can also provide patient education geared towards their learning objectives, educational levels, and individualized needs. AI can dialogue directly with the client and provide visual aids and information to guide the patient to better understanding.
Discovery of Novel Drugs: Generative AI could significantly impact the development of new drugs. AI can create new molecules based on the chemical structures of existing effective drugs and analyze potential problems that could occur during clinical trials.
Generative AI is showing promising solutions to patient care, and its utilization is likely to undergo significant transformations in 2025.
Telemedicine:
Telehealth is no longer just about seeing the doctor over the phone to get an antibiotic. It's advancing into other branches of the health industry. This growing demand for more teleservices is due to the accessibility and convenience it provides patients and the valuable information it can provide healthcare professionals.
Telepharmacy: Most people want online healthcare access, and the growing telepharmacy market can anticipate increased demand. Some technological advances in telepharmacy include virtual medication consultations, improved patient accessibility through remote dispensing, refill management tools, prescription synchronization for medication compliance, and cost-reducing tools for pharmacists through medication therapy management.
Telemonitoring and Mobile Health Apps: Due to their convenience and real-time data collection, wearable monitoring devices are becoming increasingly popular. Well-known companies such as Apple and Fitbit are developing new technology for cardiac monitoring, blood oxygen levels, and emergency and fall alerts. Remote patient monitoring is done for various reasons. A patient can now have their blood glucose levels monitored via a smartwatch, sent to their medical provider via a health app, and provide crucial data that was once never able to be captured before.
Telehealth options are great for populations with limited healthcare access. However, they may not fit all, especially those with technology barriers due to disabilities or cognitive barriers. The more these tools improve, the more accessible they will be for all populations.
Mental Health:
Technology is changing the mental health landscape. Patients are seeking innovative ways to improve their mental health and lessen stress. Progressive technological tools are being developed to aid in diagnosing, planning treatment, and implementing treatments.
AI is breaking into the mental health field through Generative AI. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the potential to be individualized through Generative AI, creating individualized situations that can be processed by the patient in a safe and controlled environment and giving individualized coping mechanisms and strategies that best apply to that specific situation. Generative AI helps not only the patient but also the mental health professional. Generative AI tools produce therapy notes and provide insight into differential diagnoses.
Virtual mental health services will dominate through 2025 and continue to advance. New technology shows AI-based virtual therapists that help patients without going to a therapist. Other virtual services include sessions with a live therapist, which will increasingly become the norm in 2025. These virtual counseling services are also becoming more common in the workplace to help lessen stress and provide mental health resources. Lastly, mobile mental health apps will offer many virtual tools for guided meditation, CBT, and symptom trackers. Worn more are wearable devices as they help the patient take control by monitoring things such as sleep and stress.
While most of these innovations in mental health intend to be helpful and improve patient outcomes, some biases in generative AI tools could exist. Insurance coverage of treatments is also a barrier.
These are just some of the technological changes in healthcare for 2025. Changes are already showing. These advancements will be life-changing for everyone. Only time will tell how lives will be affected, but the prospect seems promising as more tailored, accessible, and convenient care develops.
References
(2025). PHM's Health & Wellness Industry DISRUPTORS 2025. Publicis Health Media. https://www.publicishealthmedia.com/disruptors/?gad_source=1&gclid=cjwkcaia-ty8bha_eiwakyoa305e2sue22m8qewd4emesnbdqdfmwxq2lqflgwqnkxdl5w_ypatjxhocd6aqavd_bwe.
Kaňková, J., Binder, A., & Matthes, J. (2024). Helpful or harmful? Navigating the impact of social media influencers' health advice: insights from health expert content creators. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–14. https://doi-org.ezproxy.stfrancis.edu/10.1186/s12889-024-21095-3
Nazarov, V. (2025). Top 8 Telemedicine Trends and Technologies in 2025. Tateeda. https://tateeda.com/blog/future-of-telemedicine#Trend_5_Telepharmacy.
Reddy, S. (2024). Generative AI in healthcare: an implementation science informed translational path on application, integration and governance. Implementation Sci 19, 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-024-01357-9
Shaping the Future: Key Behavioral Health Trends for 2025. https://addictionstraininginstitute.com/shaping-the-future-key-behavioral-health-trends-for-2025/