Global healthcare trends 2020 - On the pathway towards distributed health

Summary form only given. From a technology perspective, the predictions on distributed Healthcare 2020 are relatively straightforward: Building on Information Technology, Mobile Wireless platforms and universal network coverage. The devices and solutions that will support the distributed care model will follow trends we have seen in mobile telephony, office automation, and video/data transmission. Systems currently used in a mainframe context needing expert users to interpret data will diverge into sub functions of information collection and data interpretation, allowing to unlock the current 1: 1 caregiver/patient relationship in time and space. Data can be collected remotely, analyzed centrally , and interventions prescribed again in a distributed fashion. Initial remote patient care examples like Philips Motiva, Post Discharge Telemonitoring, and Standards Initiatives like Continua Health Alliance are indicators of this trend. These have the promise to provide affordable, accessible care to a rising global patient population in a sustainable way.