https://politicsbulletin.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/digital-health-the-future/
February 10, 2016
Digital Health: The Future? Since its foundation in 1948, the that less money will mean a lesNHS has been a key characteriser service provided. According stic of the United Kingdom. It was to some experts, when looking created out of the ideal that at the NHS in it’s current nature good healthcare should be free and comparing it with services in to all, regardless of wealth and Scandinavia, the UK has probahitherto it has been a monumenble lost 3-5 years already. tal success with many countries across the world striving to repliLast week the UK Health Secrecate the National Health Service tary Jeremy Hunt initiated plans for their own citizens. However, to fund the NHS with £4 billion the past few years have seen in order to “create a paperless the NHS hit turbulent times with NHS”, Hunt wants the NHS to use politicians using it as a political Former Health Minister Aneurin Bevan who spe- technology to its advantage football to kick around at will. arheaded the founding of the NHS in 1948 and that means investing in DigiThe NHS has currently come to a tal Healthcare. stand still in terms of its future projection – it has fallen behind the health services of various Scan- The Present dinavian countries and according to research by In basic terms, Digital Health is essentially the use The Kings Fund, by 2020, Britain’s spending on its of technology and communication networks to health service will be £43 billion less a year than improve the service offered by heath providers the average spent by its European counterparts for the care of patients and the population. Insuch as France and Germany. Britain’s GDP in- novators in the field of digital health are focused vestment into its health system is at an all time on using new technology to improve the healthlow and because of this critics have labeled Bri- care experience for both healthcare staff and tain the “sick person of Europe.” patients. So why is the NHS in decline? Well firstly it costs the government and indeed the tax payer well over £100 billion to fund the NHS each year – compare this with the cost to run the NHS in 1948 which, after adjusting for inflation was roughly £9 billion at today’s value. As aforementioned, the British government is planning on spending less of its GDP per year on its National Health Service compared to previous years and there is no doubt
According to one innovator in the field of digital health, Peter Ohnemus, the UK must ‘rectify its strategy on digital health,’ he said: “The UK has lost a lot of time and money as there is not a clear digital health strategy within the NHS. This has to change very rapidly or the NHS will have very serious financial and delivery problems – this cannot be in any UK politicians or citizens interest.”
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https://politicsbulletin.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/digital-health-the-future/
February 10, 2016
Digital Health: The Future? Ohnemus, who’s company dacadoo hands of the consumer whilst it has also pushed recently won the 2016 BIG Innovation doctors to becoming substantially more commuAward 2016 regards investment into digi- nicative with patients.” tal health for all health care groups and According to statistics governments across the world as paraby the Deloitte Centmount because of the advantages digital here, UK smartphone use althcare would permit to the tax payers, patients has risen by 8% within and health care staff: ” Digital healthcare is here the last year alone today and can save up to 25% of our healthcawhilst at least 80% of re spending today. Digital sensors/mobile health all health care consuat home can save up to 80% of the hospital visit mers in the UK have a cost. The upfront investment in England is probasmart phone and inbly 10% of the overall healthcare cost and long ternet access. It is to Digital Healthcare activity within the term it will provide cost savings of 15-25%. be expected that this average American household trend will continue to “Digital healthcare means that you can track, rise and many experts document and improve your health in real-time believe that it is imperative health care providers over your smart phone. It means that elderly peo- make use of this information and act now. New ple can live in their private homes a lot longer technology has allowed patients to be able to and have assisted living at very low cost. People access their medical records online as well as from the ages of 30-65 can have their lives follo- book appointments with their GP using their mowed and improved on their smartphone. In the bile phone – and this is only the beginning. future you can track your blood pressure, blood values, health and weight in real-time wherever The Future you are at a very low cost. That is digital health.” It is an ever increasing trend that technology is improving industries throughout the world and Technological advancements in healthcare Jose Miguel Cacho – a professional in Digital Hehave meant that progress has been achieved in alth, finds it curious why governments wouldn’t all fields of Digital Health thus far, from medical invest heavily in new technology for healthcare: devices used directly by doctors to mobile health “By comparison few people doubt the benefits and computers that aid in health management of digital banking or online travel services. Digiand diagnosis. Aakash Ganju, the CEO of Mirai tal health is not only necessary, it’s just that, it’s Health – a website and smart phone app dedi- necessary to bring to the population processes to cated to improving health care outcomes for improve their overall health, which are based on both patients and doctors, believes that Digital the technology we use today.” Health has “put a lot more information into the Page 2
https://politicsbulletin.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/digital-health-the-future/
February 10, 2016
Digital Health: The Future? But are the improvements in Digital Healthcare worth the extra costs? Only time will tell. Peter Ohnemus believes that like any new innovation you first have to invest and then you will receive the pay back: “It will provide a lot of jobs and growth going forward, if politicians do not act the jobs will go to other countries – Digital does not know borders.
– healthcare truly is changing. However, with huge amounts of capital being poured into Digital Health, innovators should not take their fingers off the button, Aakash Ganju said: “There have been many false starts (IT deployment in the NHS, for example) and missed expectations. We have to keep the bar high and make sure that the stakeholders in driving Digital Healthcare adoption are multidisciplinary and appreciate the unique dynamics of healthcare ecosystems. We can’t afford to celebrate ‘inputs’ and must really focus on measuring the ‘outputs’ of digital interventions. Only then will we know if the improvements are worth the extra costs.”
“In terms of the future for healthcare I personally believe that the brightest minds in digital are today working on digital outcome and digital bio-sensors that will be able to track our life in a ‘passive non-invasive way.’ Meaning that we can calculate your health in real-time and hopefully get the right ‘wrong’ signals early and help people have a healthier and happier life at the It seems set that if money is invested into new end of the day.” technology wisely then the world should see a digital healthcare revolution with improved healthGlobal companies care systems all over the world for patients and such as Apple and staff. Unsurprisingly, innovators and entrepreneurs Google are also working within Digital Health are excited to sell investing heavily the products they have created and patented in Digital Health. to health organisations across the globe but it is Google have cre- imperative that patient happiness and healthated Verily.com a care comes before profits; only when we see an A growing trend in Digital Health funding in website which rese- improved healthcare system that is backed up the USA arches how ‘tech- by doctor and patient happiness statistics as well nology can be implemented to create a true as an improved level of health and well – being picture of human health’ whilst Apple are inves- for patients will we know that government investing heavily in Digital Health mobile apps – apps tments into Digital Health have succeeded. The such as docadoo enables users to track, mana- future of healthcare is almost certainly in Digital ge and benchmark their health in an easy and Health but it needs to be implemented in the corfun way on their smartphones using a variety of rect way – that there is no doubting. techniques from online games to social features
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