We live in a dynamic, developing world of constant progress, a maturing and conscious society in which more and more things are within our reach, but some things remain and even become more and more deficit… friendship… mindfulness… free time… health…
In 1900, the average life expectancy in the world was 31 years … in 2017, it was over 72. Although medicine has developed very intensively over the last 100 years, the vast majority of issues have not been solved. In addition, a plenty of others appeared. Half of the world’s deaths are caused by 10 common diseases. They develop through an inappropriate lifestyle, incorrect eating habits, lack of exercise, and progressive air and water pollution.
Health challenges are increasing… general, such as: progressive civilization diseases, aging society, increasing life expectancy, higher retirement age and thus the need to extend professional activity… but first and foremost- personal ones, such as: growing desire or the need to stay active, new treatment options, and ultimately financing them. Every year, we break the barriers to financing medicine, setting new heights, allocating another funds to them, as governments, insurers and patients. The above shows how far we have gone, but it also makes us realize we still have a long way to go…
I strongly believe that the challenge of staying healthy will stick as a main to our everyday life… Particularly in the era of patient centricity, when in the most explicit way in the history of medicine, patients are the masters of their decisions…
All in all, I could end my post on this, if not for… COVID-19…
Disease similar to the previously known, at the same time very different… If you feel that it has turned your daily life upside down, think about the challenges for medical care. Will this state last forever? Will the restrictions stay with us? What to expect in the post-COVID world? Will there be a post-COVID world at all or just a COVID world? Will vaccinations be effective?
Each day assures us that we do not know the answer to this question yet. So what to expect? What to prepare your employees for? What to expect from your business partners?
Below you will find 5 trends in the medical business with COVID.
1.The real dissemination of E-health
Remote visits and telemedicine already existed in the system. Electronic medical records also, as well as methods of remote diagnostics and remote rehabilitation. For e-medicine to stop being a “poor relative” of traditional services and become a complementary solution, its integration is necessary. The coronavirus pandemic will boost it. Quarantine, the need to maintain a social distance, as well as the progressive shortage of medical personnel are the catalysts for changes in the e-health area. The exponential growth of e-visits, financing of remote services by payers in new areas will be a strong impulse for the development of telemedicine. Integrating individual solutions into an efficient system with a perspective on creating a new and effective model of outpatient care.
2. Technology getting more personal
Your smart equipment knows more about you than you do. How many steps did you take, what was your pulse, respiratory rate, how long and how effective did you sleep, how much do you weigh, what is your fat content and even how long have you brush your teeth. Connected with other accessories, it enables ongoing monitoring of blood pressure, saturation and glucose levels. Today it is just a set of interesting data. Tomorrow? Aggregated can support you in ongoing monitoring and self-care, they will provide your doctor with the necessary data for proper treatment. In life-threatening situations, the device will decide for you whether to call an ambulance or whether your pump should give you insulin. Sounds like science fiction? The financial challenges that will be faced by health care systems will make the solutions that currently operate in few countries popular, faster than we think. Perhaps if you haven’t brushed your teeth for too long, your dental insurance rate should increase?
3. Ladies to the right, gentlemen to the left
What if there will be no post COVID world? What if we live in a COVID world, just like with the influenza, causing almost 400 000 deaths annually? The available data show that, in parallel with the pandemic, the number of heart attacks decreased by 40%, and the number of cancer cases by 46.4%. Obviously, the limitations of admitting patients have a direct impact on the situation, but also their fears of visiting a doctor and diagnostics. If this situation continues, hospitals will have to adapt infrastructure by designating zones for people infected with COVID and healthy people in order to maintain continuity of services and treatment. Today we incur a huge “sickness debt”, which society will have to pay back with the complications, longer and more expensive treatment, increased mortality, etc. In an life threatening emergencies, one cannot wait for recovery from the virus. Accelerating and simplifying COVID diagnosis by implementing rapid tests will enable all patients to be tested before being admitted to hospital.
4. Mental health under a magnyfing glass
Stress, tension, quarantine challenges, the need to maintain social distance, uncertainty about the future are important factors shaping our mental health. As many as 53% of American adults admitted that their mental condition due to the stress and tension caused by the pandemic had deteriorated significantly. The specter of the economic crisis and rising unemployment are only exacerbated by these threats. Safety at work is an additional factor for working people. Challenges in this area are faced not only by employers, who have to grapple not only with the need to provide employees with appropriate protection, but also maintaining the motivation of teams working remotely. Supporting employees in caring for children or ensuring proper psychological care. Medical care systems must create effective solutions and increase the availability of proper tools.
5. Costs, costs, costs – more for less
It is estimated that the pandemic will cost the world economy between $8.1 and $15.8 trillion. The costs of medical care are getting higher every year. The pandemic will accelerate the dynamics of these processes. Intensive care and additional safety procedures increase not only the workload and demand for employees, but also the costs of the medical procedures themselves. So what to expect? Less cash in the system caused by the widespread decline in GDP and the freezing of medical tourism. Increases in insurance with a parallel limitation of the scope of benefits covered by them. Economic patriotism – the pandemic has exposed the limitations of today’s supply chain model, producer efficiency and logistics. Part of the production will return to highly developed countries. This security will be expensive.
