The Doctor of the Future- How will the Roles Evolve in a Changing World?

The review is based on the results of a global survey, a series of interviews, and round table discussions conducted with clinicians, physician assistants, students, nurses, and key opinion leaders invited from about 118 countries across the globe. About 2838 participants responded to the survey through an online medium. The key messages from this survey have been elaborated.

A. Clinician – As a Partner for Health

The Millennial Patient & Beyond is More Informed than Ever:

• Eighty-six percent (86%) of clinicians agreed the rise in the number of patients being informed about their health conditions is driving healthcare change
• Fifty-six percent (56%) agreed patients will be more empowered to take care of their health
• Ninety percent (90%) of clinicians concurred that quality measures, including patient satisfaction, have driven change in healthcare in the last decade

From a Treatment Authority & Consultant to Being Partners in Care

• Sixty-two percent (62%) of clinicians agreed the role of the clinician will change to be more of a partnership with the patient in 10 years’ time
• Fifty-one percent (51%) of clinicians agreed telehealth will negatively impact their ability to demonstrate empathy with patients
• Seventy-seven percent (77%) of clinicians expect real-time patient analytics to be critical to personalized care in the future
• Forty-three percent (43%) expect every individual will have their genome sequenced to support illness prevention

B. The Future Physician will be a “Total Health” Practitioner

Changing Patient Demography, & Illnesses & Their Perception

• Aging Population: Ninety-three percent (93%) identified the aging population as a key driver of this change. Eighty-four percent (84%) of clinicians believe patients with age-associated diseases will make up the majority of the patient population in 10 years
• Increased Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases: Seventy-one percent (71%) of clinicians agreed there will be an increase in comorbidities among younger patients in 10 years
• The move towards patient-centered care is driving a preventive approach among all stakeholders in the healthcare environment

• Public Health Physician: Seventy-three percent (73%) of clinicians globally identified that in 10 years’ time managing public health will be a key priority in their role
• More Health Checkups: Fifty-six percent (56%) of clinicians expect a much higher proportion of patients will attend regular mandated health check-ups in the future. This volume has already been reported to be rising up to 80% in some Asian countries
• Potential of Data Analysts: Clinicians expect to work in a diverse expanded team that may include experts such as data analysts. Clinicians believe there will be better alignment between all the stakeholders involved in the delivery of healthcare with the progressive emergence of technology

C. Technology Will Not Stay Away from Clinicians and Vice Versa

Beyond COVID-19 & In Times of Big Data

• COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of technology in healthcare access. The public interest in telehealth increased during the pandemic, according to an analysis of Google Trends™
• Big Data will get bigger: The volume of data created, captured, copied, and consumed globally is expected to reach 181 zettabytes in 2025

• Seventy percent (70%) of clinicians agreed the widespread use of digital health technologies will enable the positive transformation of healthcare.
• Sixty-three percent (63%) expect most consultations to be remote in 10 years
• Fifty-six percent (56%) of clinicians expect they will make most decisions using clinical decision support tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) in 10 years’ time
• Sixty-nine percent (69%) of clinicians believe that digital health technology will be a challenging burden at the same time. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that 41% of clinicians expect to be seen as less valuable to patients in the future with the emergence and adoption, and accessibility of digital technologies for all stakeholders of healthcare

Glance at Healthcare in the Indian Context

Healthcare has become one of the largest sectors of the Indian economy, in terms of both revenue and employment. It has been reportedly growing at a CAGR of 22% in the last decade. India is currently undergoing a triple transition – economic, demographic, and epidemiological – that involves both challenges and opportunities as it seeks to transform its health sector. India has one of the youngest populations in the world. The country is also undergoing a demographic transition, with associated opportunities for a demographic dividend complemented by a growing and large share of the working-age population. At the same time, India faces major challenges associated with the emergence of a growing burden of noncommunicable conditions while still grappling with its traditional concerns underlying communicable diseases and reproductive health outcomes.

While it will be interesting to witness how the healthcare stage will unfold in India over the next decade, it may be predicted that the rising young population, highly aspirational, likely more health conscious in behavior with promising paying potential may drive all other stakeholders of healthcare and this journey is only accelerated through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Patients are more empowered and will continue to seek for information to manage their disease condition. This behavior will be a key driver of reformation in healthcare dynamics.
• Clinician bedside skills will still stand out always: Soft skills like listening and being empathetic have become and will continue to be increasingly important among clinicians.
• The future clinician will serve more as a partner in care while treating his/her patients
• Digital technologies will continue to have a major impact on future clinicians treating their patients. They may have positive and negative ramifications which need to be well-utilized to ensure optimal outcomes
• Personalized care will be the future for improving treatment care outcomes. Technologies like real-time patient analytics and scientific advances like genome sequencing may support illness prevention.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are of the author not of Medical Dialogues. The Editorial/Content team of Medical Dialogues has not contributed to the writing/editing/packaging of this article.

References

Adapted from

1. Jan Herzhoff, Clinician of the Future 2022 Report, Page 1-115

2. Sakhtivel Selvaraj et al, India Health System Review, Health Systems in Transition 2022;11(1):1-299

3. Youth in India 2022; 4th Issue, Social Statistics Division, National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India: Pg 1-170