Asia-Pacific’s next healthcare focus: patient-centric apps

Asia-Pacific patient-centric healthcare
Close up smiling young doctor advertising mobile healthcare apps. Image by fizkes | Bigstockphoto

Now that the pandemic has shown that healthcare can be delivered anywhere, it is time to focus on patient-centricity in the Asia-Pacific region. While healthcare has advanced speedily pre-pandemic, the outbreak of COVID-19 has forced it to take a giant leap in the right direction.

According to a recent study from IDC titled Patient of One: Redefining Patient-Centric Care, almost 75% of healthcare providers in Asia-Pacific plan to boost investment in patient-centric apps to better accommodate the shift of care delivery away from in-person interactions.

Patient-centric trends

The report segments patient-centric trends into three categories: care anywhere, AI-driven predictive care, and personalized care. All of these are enabled by technology and supported by patient/consumer-centric ecosystems.

Asia-Pacific patient-centric healthcare
Health and medical consultation application on smartphone. Image by robuart | Bigstockphoto

Care anywhere, similar to how e-commerce and other industries have shifted, is all about offering patients the ability to access care when they need it, where they are, and on their terms. This means that healthcare providers need to be able to provide care virtually as well as in person.

In a previous report, IDC said that care anywhere programs would result in a doubling of patients’ risk for adverse medical events by 2024. This is because of the discontinuity of care and data fragmentation that would occur.

Another approach to enhance patient care is utilizing AI-driven predictive technologies, which are anticipated to grow even more quickly. IDC predicts that by 2025, 35% more providers in Asia-Pacific will have used AI-driven solutions and algorithms to support predictive care models.

The appropriate application of AI is critical to guarantee that data is utilized correctly and in the best interests of patients. According to IDC, two-thirds of healthcare organizations in Asia-Pacific will prioritize the ethical use of AI for explainability and transparency over the next two years.

Personalized care will also become more of a necessity. By 2025, 30% of chronic care patients in Asia-Pacific who manage and openly use their personal health information will be able to do so to get better quality personalized care.

Healthcare providers to focus on patient-centricity

These trends underscore the need for healthcare providers to focus on patient-centricity. A digital-first strategy will be key to success. 44% of healthcare organizations in Asia-Pacific already have a digital-first strategy, according to the IDC study.

Digital-first strategies focus on creating an engaging and convenient digital experience for patients while still providing high-quality care. This is done to empower clinicians with the ability to make data-driven decisions at the point of care. IDC also observed that 62.4% of Asia-Pacific healthcare organizations are set to prioritize intelligent workspaces moving forward.

“As patient-centric care takes precedence across Asia-Pacific, the healthcare system, workplace, and workforce need to be redefined moving forward. Although structured data capture, data governance, and AI adoption play vital roles in this redefining process, healthcare organizations also need to plan for intelligent digital workspaces and physical workplaces to ensure inclusive patient-centric care,” said Manoj Vallikkat, Senior Research Manager, Healthcare Insights, IDC AsiaPacific.

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