Health 4.0 and its Potential Adoption and Contribution to the Mexican Health System

The pandemic exposed the weakness of the Mexican health system and put forward the need for its urgent reconversion. Additional to the increase of the health budget, physical and human resources, and dynamic capabilities of health organization, the implementation of technologies for data automation and coordination is acknowledged as an opportunity to improve healthcare, decrease outpatient care costs, and develop efficient surveillance systems. This work aims to build a technological forecast for Health 4.0 in the case of the health system of Guanajuato, one of the Mexican entities with the largest population, economic, and industrial growth rates. A qualitative research approach was used to perform a scientometrics analysis using as inputs selected academic articles and official healthcare reports. This analysis was complemented with information collected through semi-structured interviews and participatory techniques with technology experts, and visits to the largest unit of the Mexican Institute of Social Security of the entity. The technological forecast showed that Health 4.0 represents a solution to some critical issues of Guanajuato’s health system. Nevertheless, Health 4.0 conveys a major social challenge because of medical personnel’s and patients’ low technology proficiency and their resistance to adopt novel technological applications, and the poor coordination of health organizations.