eHealth: Emerging Markets Lead Connected Technologies Adoption

Royal Philips on Wednesday launched the results of the first edition of its Future Health Index (FHI), an extensive international study which explores how countries around the world are positioned to meet long-term global health challenges through integration and connected care technologies.

In order to improve the quality, access and affordability of care, healthcare systems are increasingly shifting their focus from hospital-based acute care to new models of integrated, coordinated care along the ‘health continuum,’ from healthy living and prevention to diagnosis, treatment and home care.

Examining the perceptions, behaviours and attitudes of patients and healthcare professionals, the Future Health Index focuses on three important 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.

While the data illustrates the growing opportunity for digital technology to drive healthcare transformation, the Future Health Index also reveals varying levels of readiness across markets and unveils opportunities for improvement to encourage broader user adoption globally.

Three-quarters (76%) of healthcare professionals in developed markets agree their patients have access to the treatments needed for current and future medical conditions, versus just over half (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 healthcare professionals in emerging economies expect connected devices to be used to manage health in the future.

The study, which will be run 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, U.K. and U.S.

Assigning each country surveyed an average score out of 100, the FHI report shows the perceived state of readiness of each market to benefit from integration across healthcare systems.

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 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.”