Looking Toward the Future

Question 1

Why might we not see the health technologies that we most urgently need in the future?

Answer 1

technology does not have an agenda!

Tech is driven by the market and is developed based on ways of making money and reinvesting it

Question 2

What kinds of innovations in technology can we expect to see in each part of the healthcare ecosystem?

Answer 2

1. On-body –> wearables, implants
2. In-home –> activity monitoring, home med devices
3. Community–> automated kiosks, emergency response intelligence
4. In-clinic–> lab on a chip, hand held med tech
5. In-hospital –> Smart OR, patient surveillance, connected equipment

Question 3

Describe 5 anticipated major trends in healthcare technology.

Answer 3

1. Accelerated Cost Savings
2. Social Media
3. Integration of Tech
4. Security and Privacy
5. User Centered Design

Question 4

Describe 3 types of new healthcare technologies that are likely to be widely used within (a) the next 5 years and (b) the next 25 years (slide 12).

Answer 4

Next 5 years:
1. Portable medical devices for professionals (portable diagnose and treat)
2. Health sensors for consumers (smart clothes for monitoring vitals, smart tattoos)
3. IoT in healthcare (Internet of Things in health care devices)

Next 25 years:
1. Telemedicine
2. Hospital redesign (smaller to accomidate for more healthcare to be done at home)
3. precision medicine (using big data and AI to identify medical approaches for patients based on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors)

Question 5

What directions for eHealth for mental
health are expected in the near future?

Answer 5

-videoconferencing –> psychotherapy
- focus on prevention and reaching people at risk for mental health disorders.
- guided interventions
- fully self-guided, such as self-help apps and online modules.

Question 6

What are 3 health techs of the future?

Answer 6

• health sensors and telehealth
• direct-to-consumer genetic testing
• AI