A Vision of Healthcare 3.0
A Vision of Healthcare 3.0
A Vision of Healthcare 3.0
GETTY
Indeed, accessing the correct care on the first attempt will not only make the
whole process simpler for the patient but also improve outcomes and reduce
inefficiencies in the healthcare system. In today's always-on world, people
should be able to access the care they need at a time and place, and via a
channel, that best suits them. Some health problems, for example, will require a
face-to-face doctor's appointment, while others can be dealt with over the
phone. Others still, such as renewing a prescription, could be easily handled
using an online chat tool or automated form.
It's important, then, for everyone in the ecosystem to better connect the dots.
By customizing healthcare to the individual, people will enjoy interactions and
treatments that are based more on their specific healthcare data and needs.
Transforming Healthcare
A large part of the vision for Healthcare 3.0 is enabling more preventative care.
As it stands, the healthcare system is largely reactionary, or, to use a technical
term, episodic. You're unhealthy, you get ill, you go to the hospital for
treatment, and so the cycle continues.
The future of healthcare, however, will be less episodic and more reliant on
preventative care. Rather than waiting until they're really ill before seeking
help, patients should be empowered to manage their own care through a range
of appropriate digital tools. The benefits to the patient are clear—quite simply,
they won't be ill so often.
This approach will have a transformative effect on the healthcare industry, too.
Providing high-quality, remote alternatives alleviates pressure on the
healthcare system, shifting care out of the hospital and into the community,
freeing up beds and reducing the need for unnecessary hospital and GP visits.
The Power Of AI
The data that comes from this analysis could prove invaluable in aiding
clinicians in their interactions with patients, informing their diagnostic and
treatment courses for greater accuracy and efficacy. AI-powered healthcare
solutions, for example, can rapidly detect issues and notify a patient's care
teams, enabling them to discuss options and make critical treatment decisions
more quickly.
Importantly, though, they won't stop offering personal advice and support to
the people who need it most: their patients. Simply put, AI will augment
doctors, not replace them. This change in the healthcare system will enable it to
run more effectively and efficiently.
The difference with Healthcare 3.0, however, is that now doctors will be
optimized and empowered by a more straightforward system and by digital
tools that will help with diagnosis, patient treatment and care. Healthcare is
evolving. By using technology to reimagine the current healthcare system and
consequently transform it, we are providing patients with easy access to a range
of choices and pathways. This puts those seeking medical treatment at the heart
of their own care—when, where and how they want it.
ADVERTISEMENT