Research on Technology Convergence and Innovation Facing the Health Industry: A Review

Background: As an emerging and dynamic field, the health industry exhibits the industrial characteristics of cross-industry integration, extensive industrial chain, and broad coverage. Research on technology convergence within the health industry is essential to identify key technologies that support its development and to overcome innovation bottlenecks, ultimately achieving high-quality advancements. Method: This article reviews and analyzes the current status of technology convergence in the health industry through a scoping review of existing literature. We employed a structured framework for this review, which consists of the following steps: identifying research questions, positioning and selection, existing results analysis, and trend analysis. Utilizing Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as the databases, the analysis focuses on two main questions: (1) What are the main technologies that drive the technological convergence of the health industry? (2) What are the innovation directions in the health industry driven by technology convergence? Results: We found that the main technologies, with information technology as the core driver, have enabled technological convergence in the health industry. This convergence has led to 20 innovation directions, as exemplified in prevention of illness. Conclusion: Based on these main technologies driving convergence and the innovation directions, future trends in technological convergence are projected to encompass prevention and health management, intelligentization of medical technology, precision medicine and personalized medicine, biopharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical innovation, and integration of medical services and industries.