Healthcare has become highly complex, but the model for delivering it hasn’t followed those changes causing to healthcare to lose its essence and to become unsustainable. Since changes are inevitable, the best approach is to recognise the several factors in the healthcare system and to incorporate technology to meet new demands. Hospitals around the globe are facing several issues related to not being properly prepared for those changes. The widespread shift in healthcare is stressing organisations and the people involved causing the current inadequate system to be overloaded and healthcare workers burnout.
The complexity in healthcare requires collaborative teams to match strategic needs for effective delivery; however, the front-line demands are also problematic leading to the need of changing incentives with the help of technology. The figure above shows the transition of healthcare delivery from human only to the combination of human and technologies, in particular, the use of artificial intelligence. As we move to the future, technology is increasingly a part of how we live; however, rather than replacing humans inputs, technology does (or should) complement it.
In the past, healthcare was delivery by humans only and it was expensive and not available to everyone;
In the present, healthcare is being delivered through the combination of human and technology such OneMedical but there is room for improvement;
In the future, healthcare delivery should be available to all, whenever and wherever it is required with the help of technology.
Adopting technology advances into healthcare as a strategic tool will augment humans activities to enable organisations around the globe to deliver better and cheaper healthcare to all.
* Text extracted from Dr Douglas’s upcoming book: Reimagining Healthcare – How clinicians and non-clinicians reduce risk, waste and disjointed services.
