The future of the health sector
New innovations for future paitent care
The health sector is one of the largest sectors in the UK and set to rise in employment as well as funding investments in the future. Medicine is beaming with new technological advances and research, whilst still having a growing demand for people to pursue sciences as a career.
Key facts
1. The NHS is the UK’s largest employer
2. The NHS employs over 1.4 million people in the UK making it the 5th largest employer in the world
3. There will be 142,000 new jobs in science, research, engineering and technology from now until 2023 (in only 3 years’ time!)
4. £476 million in savings could be generated from the use of only eight medical technologies
5. £8.7 trillion will be invested by 2020
6. Only 19% of females are in the science, engineering, research, technology workforce hence the government is driving all schools and colleges to advise students on related careers to meet demand
7. As a result of the demand of the STEM industry, the sector plans to increase the intake of female STEM apprentices to 30% in 2018, which is still increasing in 2019
From smart phones to ‘smart health’
There are many innovations in medicine designed to enhance complicated medical procedures, the accuracy of diagnostics and treatments for serious conditions through robotic surgery, technological medical apparatus and clinical diagnostics.
The medical technology industry employs an impressive 60,000 talented individuals. This is great news if you are into Software Engineering or Computer Science — you don’t have to be a doctor to work within the medical industry. Instead, you can programme a robot to carry out medical procedures. On the other hand, if you are into Mechanical Engineering, you can build a career on designing and working on the manufacture of the robot or machine itself.
You will need to be highly skilled in Maths and preferably Physics, have a good sense of logic and enjoy learning.
10 predictions in the healthcare sector for 2050
Wearable and implanted technology will become normal
Sensors and devices will take physiological and biochemical readings to remind people to take medicines and encourage a healthier lifestyle. However, these devices will be networked, raising the possibility of software viruses and malware issues causing physical diseases and illnesses.
2. Artificial intelligence will analyse test results
A computerised system to use a pool of patterns and trends of medical data to analyse results, which is deemed to be above any human’s capacity.
3. Patience will have full electronic access to all their health records
Paitents will have full access without the need to make an appointment or request a printed report making it easier for paitents to track their health and share results with other healthcare practtitioners such as private hospital consultants as and when they wish.
4. Teleconsultations will be the first port of call
Using smart tv and mobile devices, people will be able to talk to GPs or view results from their homes, saving on travel, time and costs. Some of this method was recently adopted during the 2020 Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic, whereby people were asked to stay indoors to stop the spread of the infectious virus and consutaltions started taking place over the phone. In the future, it is predicted that more paitents will be supported this way through faster technology.
5. GPs will be replaced by avatars
The appearance and sound of an avatar will be indistinguishable from a human being, but would patients feel at ease to disclose personal issues to something that is not ‘really listening’?
6. GPs will carry portable miniature laboratories
GPs will be able to take immediate measurements of a range of diseases using more equipment and treat patients faster.
7. Diagnosis will be done by a computer
The system will consider multiple clinical conditions before making a diagnosis.
8. Genomic treatment (genes) will revolutionise patient care
Surgeries will have a genome reader to read a person’s genetic make-up in five minutes and help to find out if a particular medicine will work amongst many other great features.
9. Drug dosing will be fully automated
Patients will receive automated dose adjustments, based on home monitoring and abnormal results will be interpreted by computers and passed to the GP practice automatically.
10. Print your organs using 3D printers
Stem-cell research, genetic engineering and 3D printing will allow patients to have bespoke replacement tissues and organs made, which could move into kidneys, livers and lungs.
Ten ways medicine will change by 2050
2019 Global Health Care Outlook
There are a range of other non-clinical related medical jobs you may wish to research:
· Healthcare Information Technology
· Medical Science Liaison
· Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
· Medical Recruiting
· Medical Device Marketing
· Medical Writer
So, how would you feel about an artificial intelligence system, programmed to collect information about you, understand your symptoms and then diagnose your health condition?
This is one of the advances in medicine to save time, money and deliver accurate treatment for patients. However, some research has shown that not everyone is happy to talk to an avatar or be diagnosed by a machine, would you?
So does this mean GPs will not be needed in the future?
No. The human touch is unique.
Not for a while anyway. GPs will still be required to carry out human interactions. Human interference is needed for decision making as health issues vary vastly for each individual. There will, however, be a need for even more highly skilled medical workforces to understand the data provided by technologies to assist in the treatment of patients.
Humans are also in need for empathy and compassion, which a computerised algorithm (programme) cannot learn or deliver at a human level.
What about the fact that the pioneering hospitals using these technologies are mainly private, leaving NHS patients at a disadvantage with no access to these smart healthcare technologies?
There is also the added financial burden to achieve these advances across the sector, not every hospital or clinical institute can afford to buy high tech equipment, maintain it or afford the updates required. Computer programmes are subject to change leaving the risk of misdiagnosis and errors. Therefore it is likely that GPs and doctors will not be replaced any time soon.
Some research has also shown humans prefer one-to-one interactions with a GP rather than an artificial intelligence system.
Whatever you choose to do in the health sector, rest assured that new innovations and technologies will bring you wider opportunities no matter what stage of your career you are in.