Care that delivers - Future Health Index report 2017

How can global health systems use digital technology to help prepare for the future?

Just launched: Future Health Index 2020 report

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Foreword

Building health systems that can manage the challenges of the future requires two lines of action. The first is to listen to the main users of the healthcare system – the general population and healthcare professionals – and understand their expectations and experiences. Second, we must investigate how technology is already transforming lives in different national health systems around the world and how it can be integrated further.

This Future Health Index (FHI) report – now in its second year – is a comprehensive record of where we stand on the road to achieving better health outcomes at a lower cost and how we are transforming to meet future healthcare needs. The FHI provides a platform for discussing where governments and businesses should concentrate resources to enable a revolution in the way healthcare is delivered and experienced.

This report is the result of surveys and interviews with more than 33,000 healthcare professionals, insurers and members of the public across 19 countries and five continents. Key findings and themes include:

It’s vital to focus on empowerment. Digital technology can and must provide individuals with more control over managing their own health, as well as giving care providers the tools to improve delivery and outcomes.
Health systems must improve integration to allow continuous care between hospital and the home to become a reality. The FHI report points to concerning discrepancies as to how quickly the consumer-centric transformation in healthcare – which will enable greater integration – is being made.
Incentives and more powerful partnerships need to be put in place, with more robust measurement frameworks and training programs in support.
There are gaps between perceptions and reality when it comes to access, integration and adoption. This is particularly true of integration, where both the general population and healthcare professionals perceive health systems to be far more integrated than they are.

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