Technology enabled the future of health (and business)

I just attended an awesome talk by Lucien Engelen https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/lucienengelen/ a European futurist in healthcare. This talk was sponsored by ST Engineering. He has been at the forefront of transforming the healthcare industry for over three decades. His insights are particularly relevant for C-Suite executives and directors of healthcare businesses and multinationals concerned with employee health and productivity.

Engelen's approach focuses on bridging the gap between current healthcare practices and future technological possibilities, always with an eye towards improving health outcomes and positive experiences.

Key points on health

My key points from Lucien's powerful and insightful presentation on health, versus healthcare are:

1. Shifting Focus: Engelen advocates moving from a doctor-centric (through a patient-centric) and ultimately to resident-centric healthcare. This approach recognizes that a patient has an illness and only engages with healthcare when ill, whereas a resident can focus on prevention to avoid becoming a patient.
2. Outcome Redefinition: He emphasizes changing the focus from healthcare (illness management) to health (wellness improvement). My long held view is healthcare brings a patient back to average health - with little regard or interest to a person achieving the best level of wellness possible
3. Health Determinants: Engelen points out that while only 6% of health outcomes are determined by access to healthcare, 90% of national medical budgets are spent on it.
4. Investment Reallocation: Engelen suggests shifting investment from healthcare infrastructure to empowering people's health behaviors.
5. Digital Transformation: He highlights the rapid digitization of healthcare and the need for the industry to keep pace with technological advancements and hence solutions.
6. Patient Empowerment: Engelen promotes increased patient involvement and empowerment through technology.
7. Delocalization of Healthcare: He foresees a shift towards delivering healthcare outside of traditional institutions, with new engagement points in society such as supermarkets and pharmacies, enabled by medical devices and telemedicine.
8. Data-Driven Healthcare: Engelen stresses the growing importance of data in healthcare, including wearable devices, continuous monitoring, and resident ownership of health records.
9. Cross-Industry Approach: He envisions the future of healthcare involving other sectors like finance, retail, and telecommunications.

My generalised key takeaways for management.

Although this is for the healthcare industry, perhaps other industries could also learn from this in terms of better solutions, outcomes and customer experiences.

1. Business needs to evolve from a reactive, problem-solving model to a proactive, solution-oriented approach.
2. Technology and data will play crucial roles in empowering customers and transforming service and solution delivery.
3. Cross-industry collaboration is essential for addressing future business challenges and even survival.
4. Creating a sustainable culture of innovation in organizations is crucial for future success.
5. Preparing for future challenges by "bringing tomorrow's problems to today" is essential for creating sustainable service solutions.

Using a colloquial phrase, of getting all of the ducks in line.

Written and Edited by Paul Anthony Zaman