UAE, The Netherlands and China leading the way in digital health adoption
In a press briefing this morning, Philips released its first Future Health Index (FHI), an international study into how countries around the world are positioned to adopt digital health technologies
Assigning each country surveyed an average score out of 100, the FHI report shows the perceived state of readiness of each market for digital health integration. The United Arab Emirates achieved the highest score - 65.3 – among participating nations, with The Netherlands and China also coming in high, with scores of 58.9 and 58.1, while Germany, Brazil and Japan received the lowest scores in terms of readiness, at 54.5, 50.6 and 49.0, respectively.
The study, which is to take place annually, was conducted in partnership with an independent global market research firm in 13 countries in recent months. More than 2,600 healthcare professionals and 25,000 patients were questioned in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, UAE, UK and US.
The index focuses on three factors necessary to move toward a more integrated system of healthcare: access to healthcare, integration of the current health system, and adoption of connected health technology devices and systems.
76% of healthcare professionals in developed markets agree their patients have access to the treatments needed for current and future medical conditions, versus 58% of those in emerging markets. However, emerging markets such as South Africa and the UAE appear to be leading the way in terms of connected device adoption, and more practitioners in emerging economies expect connected devices to be used to manage health in the future.
“The Future Health Index has uncovered a number of significant areas where healthcare systems must transform if they are going to succeed in delivering long-term value-based care,” said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. “However, it is encouraging to see many countries are starting from a reasonably strong position in their readiness to adopt the connected digital technologies which will ultimately drive transformation. The FHI provides valuable insight for patients, healthcare professionals and policymakers – in both developed and emerging markets – on where attention needs to be focused to increase their respective levels of access, integration and adoption of health technology to improve healthcare outcomes and patient experience in the long term.”
Whilst data is proliferating, data sharing continues to pose a challenge. Despite progress towards universal medical records in some markets, the vast majority of patients (74%) report having to repeat the same information to multiple healthcare professionals, and most (60%) have also experienced repeatedly taking the same tests. Meanwhile, even though more than half (57%) of patients own or use a connected care device to monitor various health indicators, only one third of these patients (33%) have ever shared this information with their doctor.
In addition, a clear majority of patients surveyed (69%) feel they have the knowledge to manage their own health effectively. However, less than half of practitioners (46%) agree. Perception gaps also exist in terms of who is responsible for preventing poor health. As patients age, they are more likely to believe they are the guardians of their own health – 79% of those 55 years or older agree they are fully responsible for preventing poor health compared to younger patients (66% of those aged 18-34 globally).