As major industries charge ahead in their digital transformation journeys, the healthcare sector has been notoriously slow in embracing change and adopting new technologies.
But in the past couple of years, the industry seemed to have reached an inflection point. In Singapore, this was driven by two main areas of concern.
The first of which is the rapidly ageing population in the country. By 2030, the number of elderly citizens is expected to reach 900,000 – this means that over a quarter of Singaporeans will be aged 65 years old and above. A local study conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School's Centre also found that the proportion of older adults with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled from 2009 to 2017.
“This will have a direct impact on the economy and policies,” said Dr Matthew Chua, Lecturer & Consultant, Medical & Cybernetics Systems, Smart Health Leadership Centre, NUS-ISS. As more of the population retires, the slowdown in economic contribution will result in a reduced tax revenue for the government. In fact, the shift in population makeup is already propelling healthcare spending upwards, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said last year, adding that healthcare is the biggest challenge for the future of social spending in Singapore.
The other concern is the shortage of healthcare workers to provide quality care to those in need. Healthcare organisations have been undergoing pressure to deliver quality services without raising costs, and at the same time, catering to the changing patient demands.
Using technology to reimagine healthcare
“To cope with the increasing strain on the sector, healthcare organisations need to embrace technology as a key enabler for the transformation of the industry,” Dr Matthew emphasised.
An area that Singapore has been focusing on is using technology to deliver healthcare without the need for a doctor or caregiver to be physically present. This addresses a common gripe about the healthcare system – that is, the frustratingly long queues experienced at clinics.
With increasing tech health solutions, healthcare services are better facilitated. By allowing remote monitoring of patients, this helps to reduce the strain on medical labour shortages as well as allow multiple patients to be monitored simultaneously. One such project is the Wearable Health Monitoring System by Providence Solutions Pte Ltd, to whom NUS-ISS acts as a scientific advisor. This wearable devise system has already been implemented in healthcare institutions across Singapore in hopes of transforming the standard of care in hospitals through remote vitals monitoring.
The future of healthcare is AI and human
Dr Matthew also highlighted artificial intelligence (AI) as a prominent force that is bringing about a paradigm shift in healthcare. “While AI has been around since the 1970s, it gained a lot of traction recently due to some promising applications.”
For example, most people would have already heard of the AI system that can screen through thousands of MRI images in a short time and provide better prediction than a seasoned radiologist. This has even led to worries that the human physician could be replaced by machines in the near future.
However, he contended, AI’s main role is in assisting the medical professionals – not replace them. “The human aspects of a healthcare service, such as communication and empathy, cannot be delivered by a computer system. AI’s job is to lighten the workload of healthcare professionals by eliminating the mundane and tedious tasks from their workflow.”
The frontline ambassadors of new technologies
That being said, major hurdles remain. In the healthcare industry, the adoption of new technologies is a lot more complex than other sectors such as retail.
“A lot of tough regulations have to be overcome,” Dr Matthew explained. “When it comes to health and healthcare, it is a matter of life and death. So understandably, there are strict procedures and regulations in place, and rigorous testing is required before any changes are made. This inevitably slows down the transformation process.”
Meanwhile, healthcare professionals need to recognise their role and influence in the industry’s transformation journey.
As the delivery of healthcare services relies heavily on human interactions between the healthcare professionals and the patients, it is the staff who are in the best position to help the patients be comfortable with the digitalisation that is happening. “Hence, it is critical that healthcare professionals understand and rise up to their role as front line ambassadors of new technologies,” Dr Matthew said lastly.
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