As the healthcare industry evolves, G2 continues to expand its healthcare categories. We are excited to announce the new categories for medical simulation software and nutritionist software.

Growth in the healthcare industry 

According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global medical simulation market accounted for $1.42 billion in 2019 and is projected to hit $3.19 billion by 2027, registering a compounded annual growth rate of 14.6% from 2020 to 2027.

The global clinical nutrition market reached $51 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 8% from 2019 to 2025. The growing elderly population, the increase in malnutrition, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases across the globe are a few major factors driving the growth of the market.

What is medical simulation software?

Medical simulation software, or healthcare simulation software, is used for education, training, and evaluation in various medical fields. There are many kinds of healthcare simulations—some are done virtually, some use replicas of healthcare or emergency environments, and some use mannequins—to help healthcare professionals and students practice and learn valuable skills. 

Medical simulation is the creation of real-world situations so that healthcare service providers can learn, practice, and assess their medical skills. This technology is increasingly being used in medical schools, hospitals, and healthcare practices to train future and current professionals in a safe environment. Today the wide variety of medical simulation technology, both physical and virtual,  has many applications and provides numerous benefits for schools of health professions and healthcare settings.

Medical simulation software enables medical organizations and institutions to provide continued education, training, and accreditation to their employees cost-effectively and efficiently. Rather than testing the new process or procedure on a real patient, it is more cost-effective and efficient as multiple people can go through the simulated training and perform the process at the same time. Healthcare professionals leverage medical simulation software to keep up with changing healthcare guidelines, evolving medical technology, and updated standards and procedures.

Simulation is specifically invaluable for training interdisciplinary medical teams where it provides realistic scenarios and equipment that allow for continuous training and practice until mastery is achieved in the procedure or skill. A simulated training environment offers an additional dimension to traditional instruction modules while enhancing performance and reducing errors. A few of the most common types of simulation include EMS simulators, simulated medications, manikin simulators, part-task simulators, simulation recording systems, augmented reality, virtual reality in medicine, computer-based virtual medical simulation.

Virtual medical simulation technology is changing the way that healthcare professionals prepare for real situations. Simulation is used to reproduce an event, such as performing surgery on a torn meniscus or performing CPR, without it actually happening. It is used when testing in the real world is too costly or risky, such as performing training on a new clinical process on a real patient. Both physical and virtual medical simulation technology is used to train healthcare professionals in cognitive, technical, and behavioral skills, without putting any actual patients at risk. While standalone medical simulation platforms do exist, some are offered within healthcare LMS software that provides aligned training and certification solutions and meets compliance requirements.

What is nutritionist software?

Nutritionist software helps practitioners see more clients in less time and create personalized nutrition plans for each client. In return, clients are held accountable for their goals and often get faster results. This solution keeps practitioners connected with their clients. Common features within nutritionist software include meal planning, diet and recipe analysis, communication, content distribution, questionnaires, and nutrition coaching programs.

This software includes applications for both the professional and the client that automate redundant and recurring tasks, such as follow-up sequences, reminders to have meals on time, drink water, or meditate. It offers healthcare compliance tracking and recalls where patients can keep a track of eating habits by maintaining a journal that is shared with the coach in real time. Nutritionist software can utilize various business models, such as subscription-based, sessions-based, or membership-based models. Professionals can also choose to offer either a one-on-one or a group format to provide services.

Nutritionist software is utilized by dietitians, nutritionists, and nutrition or health coaches. Although dietitians, nutritionists, and coaches help people find the best diets and foods to meet their health needs, they have different qualifications. In the United States, dietitians are board certified to treat clinical conditions, nutritionists likely have a college degree or additional certifications (although certification is not always required), and coaches may have training or certifications in health, fitness, or wellness.

The three main functions of the software are recipe analysis and management, meal or menu plan creation and analysis, and food intake or diary analysis. Some tools focus on just one of these functions, while others offer all three. Some features or modules address overall fitness, such as tracking physical activities, promoting weight loss, monitoring blood work, and accounting for certain diseases. 

Dietitians and nutritionists work in a range of fields, including patient care, private practice, consultancy, community and public health, food, research and teaching, and sports nutrition. Nutritionist software, for dietitians, is used to eliminate repetitive tasks and give the care provider time to understand the clients and their needs for better results. These practitioners are heavily involved in the customer journey and follow a high-touch process where they maintain consistent communication with the patients or clients. These products also help nutritionists and dietitians face different challenges, such as ensuring clients stay motivated to comply with their advice. 

The goal of the software is to help dietitians and nutritionists be more organized and achieve better results for their clients. Dietitians and nutritionists may work independently or in a larger practice. In either scenario, they would use this software to track the nutrition and progress of clients. The software could also help them run their nutrition business, including scheduling appointments and billing. While standalone nutritionist software platforms exist, many are offered within medical practice management software that provides integrations with patient information management, treatment planning, patient scheduling, and patient treatment management.

What’s next?

At G2, we will continue to adapt to market changes, which will be reflected in the G2 category taxonomy. We’re constantly working on more content and research to familiarize buyers with the market and its evolution. 

We also expect to continue identifying more products that can be a suitable fit for these categories. Finally, more in-depth pieces on medical simulation software and nutritionist software will be coming very soon, so stay tuned.