Medical Kiosk Market Trends

Growth Drivers  

• Rising automation in healthcare: Rapid advancement of technology in the healthcare sector has led to growing integration of automation in healthcare. Automated solutions streamline patient care thereby increasing demand for automated solutions such as medical kiosks. The large-scale adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in medical kiosks allows for efficient patient check-in, registration, and access to medical records drastically reducing administrative workload and improving overall patient satisfaction.
  
  Additionally, artificial intelligence integration in kiosks is drastically improving patient interactions with medical kiosks. For instance, in November 2023, Primary Care player Forward launched AI integrated, self-service Care Pods after raising USD 100 million in funding.

• Growing demand for patient-centric care: Post COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in trend for patient-centric and personalized healthcare. For instance, a healthcare statistics report indicates 82.1% of patients in the U.S. stating that premium customer service is the most vital factor considered while choosing healthcare, while 39.2% of patients stated that a positive digital experience with a healthcare provider positively influenced retaining the provider. The self-service option in medical kiosks inculcates patient-centric care by allowing them to take charge of their healthcare requirements.
  
  Automated check-ins, medication refills, and quick health assessments reduce in-person travel and appointments benefiting patients and drastically increasing their footfalls in healthcare providing solutions. Additionally, integration of telemedicine services in kiosks significantly boosts the medical kiosk market’s growth as patients can partake in a virtual session with a doctor.
• Cost-efficiency and workforce optimization: Medical kiosks are a cost-effective solution for healthcare providers owing to cost savings from reducing the dependency on on-site administrative staff and optimizing the use of resources. Kiosks automate patient registration, billing, and basic health assessments, minimizing operational costs. For instance, in September 2020, a study was published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that concluded health kiosks as cost-effective tools that can improve health indicators in countries if integrated in the formal health system.
  
  Additionally, medical kiosks in healthcare services can recover the initial cost of investment in a short period of time by significantly reducing administrative costs. The medical kiosk market will continue to experience robust growth as medical kiosks streamline workforce optimization in healthcare services.

Challenges

• High costs of investment and maintenance: The initial investment in purchasing and installing medical kiosks can be high, which can deter small-scale healthcare providers from installing kiosks, hampering the medical kiosk market’s reach. The kiosks also require regular maintenance and software updates, with data privacy concerns looming that can add to costs. The high rate of maintenance costs can be a challenge in emerging economies. Additionally, kiosks suffering from lack of maintenance can deter patients from engaging with them, leading to a decrease in the market’s revenue share.

• Growing data security and privacy concerns: Medical kiosks can be prone to security violations, putting sensitive medical data at risk. Due to kiosks collecting and storing vast amounts of patient data, it is imperative for health kiosk providers to inculcate stringent security measures, and any data security breaches can stymy the medical kiosk market’s growth. Data breaches can cause significant financial loss and long-term damage to the reputation of healthcare providers. For instance, in June 2020, Babylon Health suffered a software error that led to a patient’s data breach.