Thanks to innovation and technological advancement, there are a number of industries that have changed beyond all recognition during the last decade. This year will be the turn of healthcare, however, as existing concepts and measures and evolved to an entirely new level and developed to provide an enhanced patient experience. While many of the foundations for evolution within this sector have already been laid, the next twelve months will see further improvements made and reduce many of the costs associated with health and social care.
3 Key Healthcare Trends for the next Twelve Months
With this in mind, let’s take a look at three of the most prominent healthcare trends for 2015 and how they will impact on patients and providers alike: –
The Age of Digital Health and Preventative Care
Outside of the healthcare sector, there is a keen drive among private firms to reduce health risks through the implementation of preventative measures. Take the initiative to install automatic speed-restriction devices in cars, which despite being widely criticised has the potential to reduce the rate of accidents by as much as 29% in the UK. Private and public healthcare bodies have now also understood the value of preventative healthcare, with the result that digitally-enabled software and treatments will become widespread in 2015. These measures will help to detect issues earlier and deliver a generally higher standard of care, while the development of e-visits will reduce in-office appointments by 10% and create more time for diagnosing individual complaints.
The Year of Seamless Care
Incredibly, healthcare IT systems have been in existence for more than 30 years. Until 2008, however, just 38% of all office-based physicians had converted to this medium, creating a vacuum where data was lost, duplicated and easily overlooked. This number had increased to 78% by the end of 2013, while the next twelve months will see the emergence of Cloud-based IT systems which will be accessible in real-time by both healthcare providers and patients alike. This will also make it easier than ever for data to be shared between providers, allowing for a higher quality of consistent and seamless care.
The Continued Rise of E-Recruitment
E-recruitment remains a key driver of the healthcare sector, with so many niche markets and job roles available throughout the UK. This means that e-recruitment will become even more prominent in 2015, with specialist online employment hubs continuing to advertise jobs within a diverse national market. This not only reduces costs but it also reaches out towards a targeted demographic of candidates, each of which have a desire to work in their chosen sector and an appreciation for the competitive and fast-paced nature of the market. This trend will continue for the foreseeable future, helping recruitment firms and healthcare providers to reduce costs without compromising on the quality of staff.