Humans to remain at the forefront of healthcare even as machines become smarter
Patients are today more informed than ever, and developments in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and machine learning are transforming the healthcare experience.
A digital transformation in the healthcare industry will fundamentally change the relationship between caregiver and patient.
However, the success of screens, apps and wearables that are changing the healthcare experience, still depends on human interaction.
That means a digital transformation in the healthcare industry will fundamentally change the relationship between caregiver and patient, and healthcare providers that will successfully make the leap are those that will shape the patient journey through empathetic experiences.
This is according to S_HIFT, a joint report by Ogilvy and DHR that aims to help businesses adopt a holistic approach to digital transformation in areas such as branding, customer experience, technology advisory and talent leadership.
The report identified five key factors that form the foundation for successful healthcare strategies in APAC going forward. The first is empathetic care, which despite technological advances, the winners will be health care practitioners who address the person, not the disease.
The second is making data human as communication of big data with a human approach and assurances of data privacy will be increasingly important in healthcare going forward.
Thirdly, retailisation and consumerisation will see new platforms move the point of care out of the clinic, fundamentally changing the way patients and carers communicate. Harnessing technology can allow earlier and more proactive medical intervention.
There will also be affordability as financial partnerships and new ways of imagining insurance, credit and payment platforms can help to bridge the affordability gap of healthcare in Asia.
Finally, new talent will help to develop a patient-centric approach that requires talent from outside the traditional healthcare skill pool.
“At the end of 2016 we conducted research across the region to better understand how prepared organisations are when it comes to the digital transformation of their business,” said Jerry Smith, the chief operating officer at Ogilvy.
“Over 90% responded describing themselves as ‘somewhere on the journey’, however one of the biggest challenges identified was the ownership of the agenda in the boardroom. It was clear that transformation of this magnitude for any organisation transcends functions and departments. Collaboration holds the key.”
Read the full report here.