The inter-inclusion
phases of digital in Healthcare
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Digital
Healthcare has generally followed the same pattern as other industries. In the
1950s, when institutions began using new technologies to automate highly
standardized and repetitive tasks such as accounting and payroll, healthcare
pioneers and other industry stakeholders began using AI to process huge amounts
of statistical data.
Twenty years later the second wave of adoption of
artificial intelligence has come.It did two things: it helped integrate
different parts of the main processes (production and human resources, for
example) within individual organizations and supported B2B processes such as
supply chain management for different institutions within and outside outside
the individual sectors.
As regards its effects on the health sector, this second
wave has helped to create, for example, the electronic health card in Germany.
It was also a catalyst for the Health Information Technology for Economic and
Clinical Health Act in the United States - an effort to promote the adoption of
health information technology - and the National Artificial Intelligence
Program in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom . Regardless of
their immediate impact, these programs have helped create an important and
powerful infrastructure that will surely be useful in the future.
Many institutions in the public and private sector have
already gone through the third phase of AI adoption , i.e. the complete
digitalization of the entire company, including digital products, channels and
processes, as well as advanced analyzes that allow completely new operating
models. What will this third wave be like for healthcare?
Healthcare players have had some success - and have
benefited - from the first and second waves of AI adoption. But they have
struggled to successfully manage the myriad of stakeholders, regulations and
privacy concerns needed to build a fully integrated healthcare system: this was
in part due to the fact that the first and second waves of adopting AI they
focus more on the processes and less on the needs of the patients .
Now that patients around the world have become more
comfortable using digital
networks and services, even for complex and sensitive problems such as
healthcare (the successful PatientsLikeMe , DrEd , ZocDoc sites are just three
examples of this trend), we believe it is the time has come for the various
healthcare structures to invest in Healthcare Marketing strategies that focus
on Healthcare. But where should they start?
Non-healthcare organizations that pioneered the third wave
of digitization have started trying to understand what their customers really
wanted; they then built their initial digital products and services based on
this information and methodically expanded their offerings and customer base.
We believe this model can also work for healthcare. Success in the third wave
of digital depends heavily on understanding patients' digital preferences in
both channels and services. But many digital Healthcare strategies are still
guided by myths or information related to the patient experience that are no
longer true.
Myth 1: People don't
want to use digital services for Healthcare
Many health executives believe that due to the sensitive
nature of medical care, patients do not want to use digital services except in
some specific situations but the reason why patients are slow to adopt digital
health care is mainly because of the existing services. they do not meet their
needs or because they are of poor quality: over 75% of respondents from
McKinsey & Company would like to use digital health services, provided that
these services are simple to use and allow an interconnection between the
various digital devices. Of course, non-digital channels will continue to be
relevant and important, so digital channels will have to be incorporated into a
well thought out multi-channel concept.
Myth 2: only young
people want to use digital services
One of the most widespread myths about healthcare is that
only the younger generations want to use digital services and, therefore,
digital Healthcare will not reach many of the major players in the system.
The
McKinsey & Company survey shows, however, that patients of all ages are
more than willing to use digital services for health care, in fact, patients
over 50 want digital health care services almost as much as their younger
colleagues the. More than 70% of all older patients in the UK and Germany want
to use digital health services, and that number is even higher in Singapore.
Read Here: Medical
Web Marketing professionals
However, there is a difference between the types of digital
channels that older and younger patients want to use. The former prefer
traditional digital channels such as websites and email, while the latter are,
of course, more open to relatively new channels such as social media .
The type of service , not just the channel, should be
segmented by age : younger patients obviously want access to health promotion
and prevention services, while older people need information on services for
health conditions acute and chronic.
Myth 3: mobile device
health is the turning point
Mobile health, the practice of healthcare supported by
mobile devices, is often considered the future of digital services in the
healthcare sector. However, the demand for mobile health care is not universal,
it is therefore not the only critical factor in the future of healthcare digitization.
Of course, there is definitely demand for mobile healthcare
applications, and it is stronger among young people.
Healthcare systems should
therefore create mobile solutions for this audience, for example apps that
focus on prenatal health or on what could be classified as lifestyle apps .
Attention to solutions that could have a great impact but which do not interest
the segment in question: digital applications to manage the chronic conditions
typical of elderly people, for example.
Myth 4: Patients want
innovative features and apps
Healthcare facilities often think they need to be innovative
when designing their digital service offerings. But the main features that
patients expect from their healthcare system are surprisingly trivial:
Efficiency , better access to information , integration with
other channels and availability of a real person if the digital service does not
provide them with what they need . Highly innovative services, better apps and
more social media are far less important for most patients
.
Myth 5: A complete
platform of service offerings is a prerequisite for value creation
When it comes to digital, many institutions - not just those
in healthcare - think it is necessary to build a complete platform with
offerings along the entire spectrum of customer services. But the survey finds
that it can be smarter to start small and act fast .
Surprisingly, all over the world, most people want the same
thing: digital Healthcare for routine activities and navigation in the often complex
healthcare system . In Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom, for example,
three very different countries with three very different healthcare systems,
patients often mention " finding and scheduling medical appointments
" as the service with which they need assistance.
Other commonly cited needs include help in selecting the
right specialist and support for repetitive administrative tasks such as
prescription refills . What many of these services have in common is that they
don't require huge artificial intelligence investments to get started.