The document discusses the imminent transformation in healthcare, driven by technological advancements and patient empowerment over the next 5 to 25 years. Key predictions include the rise of portable medical devices, telemedicine, precision medicine, and nanotechnology for real-time health monitoring and treatment. The survey of business leaders highlights that obstacles to these innovations encompass not only technical aspects but also ethical, regulatory, and investment challenges, varying by region.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
– In words and pictures –
THE FUTURE
OF HEALTHCARE
Realities or science fiction?
Like many other sectors, healthcare is about to enter a period of rapid change. Longevity and the advance of new
technologies and discoveries – as well as innovative combinations of existing ones – are among the many factors
propelling patient empowerment, which is fundamentally changing how we prevent, diagnose and cure diseases.
To understand what we should expect in the years ahead, we empaneled experts in the field of healthcare to
predict which technologies and innovations we will see in the near term (the next five years) and in the long term
(twenty-five years and beyond). We then surveyed 400 global business leaders in and around the healthcare sector
on whether they agree with the panel’s views, and what they perceive as the biggest hurdle to these technologies
coming to fruition.
To varying degrees, the survey results show that the business leaders agree with our panel about the pertinent
technologies that will come to fruition in the future. The percentages below indicate the amount of people who
responded that the technology will become widespread realities, or realities, within the given time frame.
Futurists and business experts agree that in terms of future healthcare
technologies and innovations, the focus of healthcare shifts from treating
illness to sustaining wellness. Beginning with portable medical devices that will
enable diagnosis and cures outside of hospital facilities to health sensors for
consumers which help individuals monitor their health 24 hours – technology
will have the power to connect doctor, patient and community as never
before. Healthcare devices will increasingly join the realm of IoT; with the
help and advanced use of AI, amassed data will be utilized to propel the
long trend towards tailor-made medicine and healthcare.
The changes and innovations may come more swiftly than imagined – just
think how DNA sampling has become dramatically cheaper even compared
to two years ago. Without the assistance of AI, the cure for Ebola could not
have been found so quickly.
While many technologies on the list already exist today, they exist only to
a very limited capacity, and will be increasingly put to new application in
the future. For example in the future, virtual reality (VR) technologies will be
used increasingly in medical training, or provide patients with comfort who
are confined in hospitals – it may also help speed up recovery of patients.
Robotics is another example, where widespread use can significantly lift the
physical burden of the healthcare workers in hospitals, help enhance the
mobility of patients, and in some cases provide emotional support for the
patients. While we will not likely be able to print organs on the go within the
next five years, 3D printing of tissues, skin, blood vessels and bones will very
much become realities in the said timeframe.
Looking further out, “health maintenance” will not merely entail 24-hour
monitoring of our physical status, but nanotechnology will allow for 24-hour
monitoring and cure of health states real-time as nanometer-sized robots in
our body will cure and monitor health. Specialized diagnosis and cure will be
made available regardless of one’s geographical location, as wide-spread
tele-medicine will solve lack of doctor shortages.
As healthcare becomes ubiquitous, the concept of mega-sized “general
hospitals” will be reinvented drastically, as medical facilities will be
redesigned into smaller, more modular structures strategically dispersed for
greater efficiency.
REALITIES OR SCIENCE FICTION?
OF HEALTHCARE
Realities or science fiction?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
– In words and pictures –
Portable medical devices for professionals
Portable diagnosis and treatment devices for medical
professionals
Tele-Medicine
Lack of doctor shortages will be solved via tele-medicine, via Ubers of
healthcare to bring the attention and expertise of doctors to the masses
Hospital redesign
Revolutionary changes in traditional “general hospitals”- hospitals becoming
smaller, as more healthcare (diagnosis and treatment) will be done at home
Health sensors for consumers
Wearable devices, digital tattoos, smart clothes for monitoring health
unobtrusively
Precision medicine
Using big data and AI to identify medical approaches for patients based on
genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors
IoT in healthcare
Internet of things in healthcare devices
Devices inside the body (nanotechnology)
Nanometer-sized robots in our body will cure and monitor health
3D printing
3D printed tissues, skin, blood vessels, bones
Man-made organs
3D printing of organs
Genomic analysis
Receiving treatment customised to our molecular makeup and genetic
background
Ageing research
Ageing will become a treatable disease – people will cease to age
Robotics
Robotic nurse assistants to support the work of healthcare professionals
with superhuman strength and precision
Designer babies
Manipulate DNAs to customise babies
Virtual reality in healthcare
Usage of VR in medical training, relaxing chronic patients, speeding up
recovery of patients
Brain-Computer Interface (BCI technology)
Our brains will be directly connected to AI
AI in medical decision support
The expanding role of artificial intelligence in monitoring and diagnosis
Augmented reality (AR)
Projecting digital data onto real-life imagery, used for diagnosis and
health education
IN THE
NEXT 5 YEARS
IN THE
NEXT 25 YEARS
38.90% 75.56%
37.66% 71.58%
34.66% 65.33%
32.42% 64.34%
28.93% 59.85%
28.43% 60.6%
26.43% 63.84%
24.44% 54.37%
20.95% 61.6%
43.89% 75.81%
39.65% 74.06%
34.16%
28.43%
27.18%
26.68%
20.70%
19.45%
74.31%
64.84%
59.35%
55.36%
45.14%
46.38%
widespread realities widespread realitiesrealities realities
Our survey results of interviewing 400 global business
leaders indicate that the biggest hurdles that stand
in the way of realizing future healthcare are not
just technical. Ethical and cultural issues, lack of
investment or affordability, regulatory environment
- on top of technical capabilities - are important
considerations for future technologies to become
realities. Consequently, different regions see different
obstacles standing in the way of new technologies
becoming realities.
Looking at the regional differences, ethical issues took up the largest share amongst respondents in Asia, for whom
regulatory hurdles were also paramount. In contrast for the US respondents, ethical and regulatory issues constituted
less than 50% of the concerns, where technical and investment issues were much more emphasized. South Africa and
the Middle East regions stood in stark contrast as almost half of the responses sited the “lack of obstacles” - of the
obstacles, investment and affordability featured prominently, rather than ethical or regulatory issues. It is interesting to
note that “technology” did not feature as the largest obstacle in any of the regions.
HURDLES: NOT JUST ABOUT TECH
In predicting the future, it is important to look at what dramatic changes
are already happening today. That DNA sampling has become
dramatically cheaper even just compared to two years ago, for example,
will have wide-encompassing implications in the coming years on anything
spanning from tailor-made medicine to preventive healthcare. Each
breakthrough and innovation will in turn, continue to reshape our own
understanding and expectations of healthcare.
Sponsored by
IN THE
NEXT 5 YEARS
IN THE
NEXT 25 YEARS
Genomic Analysis
AR
AI in medical decision support
Designer babies
Nano tech
Hospital redesign
US
Genomic Analysis
Robotics
AI in medical decision support
Designer babies
Ageing research
Brain-Computer interface
EU
Genomic Analysis
AI in medical decision support
Health sensors
Designer babies
3D printed organs
Brain-computer interface
ASIA
AI in medical decision support
Robotics
3D printed tissues, blood vessels, etc
Brain - computer interface
Devices inside the body (nanotech)
3D printed organs
AI in medical decision support Brain - computer interface
3D printed tissues, blood vessels, etc
Devices inside the body (nanotech)OTHER
38.33%
40.83%
47.5%
53.66%
27.5%
31.67%
31.67%
41.46%
26.67%
28.33%
29.17%
36.59%
64.17%
66.67%
54.17%
63.4%
40%
38.33%
60.98%
35%
35%
36.67%
31.67%
51.22%
ETHICAL
ISSUES
INVESTMENT/
AFFORDABILITY
NO HURDLEREGULATORY
ENVIRONMENT
TECHNICAL
ISSUES
US
18.5%
23.1%
20.3%
23%
14.9%
EU
20.4%
31.9%
19.6%
17.9%
10.2%
OTHER
27.5%
5.5%
11.3%
10.1%
45.7%
ASIA
19.4%
6.1%
23.3%
31.8%
19.3%
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE?
MIDDLE EAST &
SOUTH AFRICA
MIDDLE EAST &
SOUTH AFRICA