Philips’ Future Health Index 2019 report focuses on the role digital health technology plays in improving both the clinician and patient experience

“Two-way sharing of information is not only essential to deliver the right care at the right time, it also helps to improve the patient and clinician experience,” said Jan Kimpen, Chief Medical Officer for Philips. “Informed and empowered patients also take better care of their health, which contributes to the last element of the Quadruple Aim – lower cost of care. Today’s Future Health Index report highlights that health and healthcare is all about people. For example, the patient-clinician relationship is highly symbiotic. In terms of each party’s well-being, what one side does affects the other and vice versa.”

The Future Health Index 2019 report’s researchers identified three key themes:

2. Empowered patients – access to data, more control

The study indicates that giving patients access to their own health data makes them more likely to engage with it in a way that will improve the quality of care they receive and their overall healthcare experience. Of the individuals surveyed, those who share their health data with their healthcare professional are more likely to rate the quality of care as good, very good or excellent (74%) compared to those who don’t share it (66%). In addition, 63% of individuals who currently do not have, or don't know if they have access to their digital health record, say they want it.

“When patients are more involved in their care, anecdotally we do see better outcomes – they develop a richer and more sophisticated understanding of their health journey,” said Dr. K. Elizabeth Hawk, Clinical Instructor, Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine; Radiologist, Matrix Division, Radiology Partners. “Giving patients this access not only empowers them, it also builds a better relationship between physician and patient. And narrowing this disconnect can have a dramatic impact on physician burnout, too.”

“Patients are explicitly asking for access to their digital health records,” said Jan Kimpen. “The benefits are clear. Now is the time for the healthcare industry at large to step up its efforts to really bring patients into the cloud. Other industries have shown that the technology is there to do it in a safe way.”

3. Learning from forerunners

The third theme looks at how some countries have leapfrogged others when it comes to health technology and how digital health technologies are increasingly becoming part of the everyday healthcare experience for both healthcare professionals and patients. For example, the surveyed individuals in China, Saudi Arabia and India more frequently said they take action related to their health as a result of tracking key health indicators via digital health technology or mobile health apps. The experiences of digital health technology forerunners provide lessons that all countries can learn from and apply to their own healthcare systems.

“We know from the previous three editions of the FHI study that it is hard for countries with a developed healthcare system to change, simply because of the legacy,” said Jan Kimpen. “So we should learn from countries with an emerging healthcare system that have leapfrogged in the adoption of digital technologies. Technology is no longer a limiting factor, the important thing for all of us is to be prepared for change.” 

Since 2016, Philips has conducted original research to help determine the readiness of countries to address global health challenges and build efficient and effective health systems.  Details on the methodology and a full list of sources are available here. To read the full report, visit www.philips.com/futurehealthindex-2019.

[1] The Future Health Index surveys were fielded from March 4 to May 19, 2019 in 15 countries (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, The Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Poland, U.K. and U.S.) in their native language. The survey was conducted online and offline (as relevant to the needs of each market) with a sample size of 1,000 per market for individuals (general population) and 200 per market for healthcare professionals. The exceptions were the US and Germany, which each had slightly larger samples of healthcare professionals. For the general population audience, the survey is representative of key demographics e.g. age, gender, region, location type (rural/urban), income/SEL/education and ethnicity (where appropriate to ask). This was achieved through a mix of balancing and weighting. In Saudi Arabia and Brazil, the survey is nationally representative of the online population. The survey length was approximately 15 minutes for the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands, and approximately 10 minutes for the remaining markets. The total sample from the survey includes 3,194 healthcare professionals (defined as those who work in healthcare as a doctor, surgeon, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse or nurse across a variety of specializations) and 15,114 individuals that represent the adult general population.