Connected care represents a real and very present solution for some of the challenges the NHS faces, new research claims
Our future health is wreathed in gloomy predictions of spiralling chronic illness, a healthcare system facing increasing financial pressures and clinicians struggling to cope. By 2039, 29.5 per cent of the population will be over 60, 6 per cent more than today, and with more people living with multiple long term conditions, the need for a new solution is more vital than ever.
To avoid collapse, our health system needs to undergo a step change, making use of new technologies to increase success rates in prevention. The Future Health Index (FHI), an international report commissioned by Philips, drew data from 3,891 healthcare professionals (HCPs) and 29,410 adults from 19 markets to better understand perceptions towards connected care and its role in the future of healthcare.
Directional change
The UK findings showed both HCPs and the general public alike are embracing connected care technologies. In the last 12 months, 48 per cent of HCPs have seen an increase in the use of connected care technologies by GPs, and 38 per cent saw an increase by other primary and secondary healthcare services.
The health system is more integrated than given credit, and both HCPs and the general public are adopting the technological opportunities to better manage health and reduce hospital dependence
The general public is also embracing connected care, with 31 per cent having used such technology to monitor a health indicator (eg heart rate), of which 57 per cent shared this data with their HCP. As the NHS plans to future proof itself, it must acknowledge this is the direction the population is headed.
”Connected care represents a real and very present solution for some of the challenges the healthcare system faces. Leveraging technological innovations not only has the ability to empower people to manage their health and stay out of the hospital, but to deliver seamless, effective treatment plans and ease the burden on medical staff by balancing the partnership between HCPs and patients,” says Neil Mesher, CEO at Philips UK and Ireland.
The FHI provides an optimistic view of the future health in the UK. The health system is more integrated than given credit, and both HCPs and the general public are adopting the technological opportunities to better manage health and reduce hospital dependence. Looking into the future, connected care could be the key to a sustainable future for the NHS.
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