In the future, doctors will use tech to stop you getting sick

As an expert on healthcare innovation,, I’m often asked to predict how technology will change healthcare in the future. I don’t have a crystal ball – but luckily, I don’t need one. Already there are plenty of indications that we’re moving towards a future where prevention, rather than treatment, will dominate our approach to healthcare. 

Here are some healthcare shifts we can expect in the future.

More empowered patients

From counting their steps to monitoring their sleep, Aussies are already wearing gadgets that collect a wealth of valuable health data. In the future, this type of data will help doctors alert a patient before a medical event happens, rather than treating it later. Essentially, these devices and sensors will have machine learning or AI applied to them and when patterns of abnormality are noticed, or signals that disease might develop, a healthcare provider can access this data. Combining this with other known data about that patient, such as their genetics, a doctor can prescribe a treatment plan that will prevent the disease or illness.

Not only does this mean we can potentially decrease the prevalence of illnesses in the future, patients will be able to play a more active role in their own wellbeing. 

Faster and more equitable treatments

The next step is to bring together anonymously all of the data that consumers are already collecting through smartphones and wearable devices. That would give medical researchers a significant treasure trove of data for rapid drug development and lifestyle studies. This trend is already well underway. In recent years, a US company, Evidation, has developed a tool that collates data from 3 million volunteers, providing trillions of valuable data points.

Similarly, a Nigerian start-up is sourcing genetic material from volunteers across Africa – populations that are notoriously under-represented in medical research – helping to make drug research more equitable. 

More accurate diagnoses

There’s no doubt that AI is a huge driver in future healthcare innovations. A great example is a system called Shetty which operates an algorithm to diagnose lung cancer. It’s so effective, it’s detected 5% more cases and had 11% fewer false positives than a control group of human radiologists. 

How we get there 

As exciting as this future sounds, there are quite a few barriers to overcome first. We have existing workflows and a workforce focused on waiting for disease, then interacting with a patient and treating them. So we would need to retrain our workforce, change existing workflows and also consider things like funding systems. 

Current funding in Australia is based on activity – clinicians get paid when they see patients. To achieve a preventative tech-driven approach, we’ll need a model that is more outcome focused. Essentially, a model where we’re paid to stop people needing healthcare services, and keep them well. 

On top of that, we’d also need a lot of education to help patients get ready for this shift. And given the rapid rate of healthcare innovation, all of this might be needed sooner than we think. 

If you’d like to tap into Amandeep’s expertise in healthcare innovation further, you can book her for speaking events or media interviews here .