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5 Disruptive Healthcare Innovations for Canadians in 2025

  • Leslie Andrachuk
    • 5 Medical Advancements

    It’s no secret that the Canadian healthcare system is undergoing an important evolution driven by an unmet need for quality, accessible care.

    So much of what we see in the media is focused on the negative aspects of our healthcare system, however there are some groundbreaking medical advancements that are anticipated to shape the landscape, offering hope for improved outcomes and efficiencies.

    Here are five exciting transformations we feel it’s important to keep an eye on in 2025 and beyond.

    Artificial Intelligence

    Artificial Intelligence is set to disrupt medicine in almost every way. As the home to more than 600 AI researchers and three world-class AI institutes, Canada is a leading global force in the development of AI. Point in fact, this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics is Professor Emeritus at UofT, Geoffrey Hinton, a British Canadian known as the ‘godfather of AI’.

    Our thriving Canadian AI ecosystem is supported by the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy – a five-year, $125 million plan to support research and attract talent in AI that will contribute to this important evolution in our healthcare system. Launched in March 2017, the strategy is the first fully funded one of its kind and has inspired similar strategies in 18 other countries.

    The fundamental ways AI will advance medicine include:

    With such a commitment to AI in healthcare, Canadian healthcare providers are increasingly adopting AI-powered tools, such as algorithms capable of detecting early-stage cancers from imaging scans.

    For example, Dr. Khademi, a biomedical engineer at the Toronto Metropolitan University, is creating an AI tool that helps pathologists make more consistent and reliable breast cancer diagnoses which in turn are used to make treatment decisions. 

    In another exciting development, a year-and-a-half-long study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that use of the AI system CHARTwatch – developed at Unity Health Toronto – led to a striking 26 per cent drop in the number of unexpected deaths among hospitalized patients.

    Beyond diagnostics, AI is also set to optimize hospital operations. Operational strategies such as predictive models can help manage bed availability and staff allocation, leading to cost savings and better patient experiences.

    Remote healthcare

    Virtual Healthcare Innovations

    Virtual healthcare has proven its value during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow in importance. In Canada’s vast rural and underserved areas, healthcare access has been a long-standing challenge. Virtual care solutions offer a lifeline that is becoming increasingly important as the doctor shortage continues.

    An exciting emerging concept is that of the hospital-at-home model, which is a way to provide hospital-level care to patients in their homes. This medical advancement allows people to avoid hospitalization or leave the hospital earlier so they can receive their treatment in the more comforting environment of their own home.

    Patients can be physically discharged to their home environment, but their care and clinical responsibility remains with the hospital until clinical discharge.  The model is gaining traction abroad and here in Canada as it is touted to be a solution to:

    For example, Quebec is expanding its virtual care programs to allow patients to transition from hospitals to home-based recovery. This approach includes monitoring patients post-surgery, such as hip replacements and robotic hysterectomies, using remote tools.

    Similarly, Toronto Grace Health Centre has developed a comprehensive Remote Care Monitoring program that is remotely treating around 25,000 patients across all areas of Ontario. The hospital has developed a system with its technology partner, GRTHealth, of Aurora, Ont., that enables the medical team to continuously monitor patients via wearable devices, passive sensors, and AI-driven insights. Chronic conditions like heart failure and COPD can benefit greatly from this program.  

    The program is cost-effective, with home care costing as little as $10 daily compared to $500 a day for hospital stays. To ensure patient safety and health stability, the team can quickly contact a doctor for an opinion, and visiting nurses and PSWs, paramedics or even the police can be quickly alerted if in-person help is needed.

    Non-Opioid Pain Management Therapies

    With Canada grappling with an opioid crisis that claimed 47,162 lives between January 2016 and March 2024, alternative pain management strategies are gaining momentum.

    As one of the most promising medications, Ketamine is a viable alternative to opioids in managing chronic and acute pain. It is particularly effective for neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and fibromyalgia.

    Ketamine has been used in lower doses for acute pain, especially in emergency rooms, as it offers rapid pain relief without significant respiratory depression, a major risk associated with opioids.

    While it is not a direct substitute for opioids in all scenarios, it does offer specific advantages. These include:

    However, ketamine is typically not used for long-term daily pain management as opioids are, given its dissociative and psychotropic side effects.

    Ketamine is approved as an anesthetic in Canada, however it is often prescribed off-label in lower doses  for pain management.

    Real-Time Health Monitoring

    The future of health monitoring also lies in empowering patients to take an active role in their healthcare alongside being monitored remotely by their healthcare team.

    Fitness devices help people track important metrics such as sleep, heart rate, activity and more without their doctor. Self-monitoring can be a great way to accomplish fitness and health goals, however there is often little to no clinical evidence assessing the claims of different health apps; very few mobile health apps and technologies have been designed for or reviewed and authorized for clinical use in Canada. Other issues related to their safety, data privacy, and equity will also be important to be aware of.

    Examples of emerging mobile health apps and wearable technologies developed by the healthcare industry include:

    Genomic and Precision Medicine

    Genomic medicine is redefining how diseases are treated. By analyzing a person’s genetic profile, healthcare providers can develop customized treatment plans, improving effectiveness and minimizing side effects.

    Canada’s investment in genomic research is bearing fruit, with projects like Genome Canada’s All for One initiative making genetic testing accessible to more Canadians. This initiative has facilitated over 15,000 genetic diagnoses since its inception, paving the way for tailored interventions in areas such as oncology and rare diseases.

    Another important development in genomic medicine is pharmacogenomics – the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications that can be prescribed based on a person’s genetic makeup.

    Pharmacogenomics helps determine efficacy and proper dosage on an individual level, thereby reducing the risk of allergic reactions or damage from a toxic overdose. The knowledge of one’s genetic code can also be used to make lifestyle changes to avoid or lessen the severity of a genetic disease.

    These five innovations offer a glimpse into a brighter future for Canadian healthcare. Be aware however that some of these approaches may take time to integrate into our public healthcare system but they may be available earlier privately.

    Make sure you subscribe to The Health Insider for ongoing reporting on how these technologies mature and become available to Canadians.

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    The information provided on TheHealthInsider.ca is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. TheHealthInsider.ca advises consulting a medical professional or healthcare provider when seeking medical advice, d~ Read more from The Health Insider ~iagnoses, or treatment.

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