Healthcare 4.6

I am delighted to be taking over the editorial helm at HealthManagement.org from the very capable hands of Christian Lovis and happier still that this, my first issue as Editor-In-Chief – IT, is focussed on Healthcare 4.6 – the way to the future of healthcare 5.0? – a topic of extreme importance and interest to me.

If the recent pandemic has shown us anything, it is how critical it is to evolve in the way we offer care and build and develop the infrastructure that surrounds it. Practically overnight, patients and healthcare providers from across the world were forced to adapt to utilising technology in healthcare, and many lessons were learned. Jan-Philipp Beck makes a convincing argument for keeping the momentum around what he calls the “Digital Health Boom” going long after the pandemic subsides.

In their article Healthcare Worker 4.0: Redesigning Jobs for the Future, Dr Eugene Fidelis Soh and colleagues shine a light on the human resources aspect of evolution in healthcare as they take us through their hospitals’ journey in transforming the workforce for the next generation.

Prof Florencio Travieso urges you to put your preconceptions aside, and for a moment, consider how blockchain (not to be confused with the controversial bitcoin), could empower patients concerning their data and revolutionise global digital health with its unique ability to increase the speed, security and traceability of the information shared.

Mina Makary and Carol Vitellas take us inside the futuristic world of AI in radiology. From disease detection and characterisation to monitoring, this article details the latest research and discusses how AI has the potential to completely transform the field.

How do communities at large support the evolution of technology in healthcare? Supportive frameworks from policy and regulation to investment and education are essential. To that end, Dr Lena Otto from TU Dresden teams up with Diane Whitehouse from EHTEL in Brussels to describe a telemedicine readiness tool that has been supporting communities internationally in their mission towards expanded telemedicine use.

In traditional medicine, much has been made of the human condition and our propensity to prefer face-to-face and hand-to-hand contact over the more ‘impersonal’ digital communication. In his article, Dr Rafael Vidal-Perez describes a telecardiology project that shows that in-person clinical care is not always necessary to provide a positive experience for both patients and clinicians.

Mis- and disinformation, aka “fake news,” has become a serious health threat during the past couple of years, and this phenomenon has been coined an “infodemic” by the WHO with the obvious “pandemic” connection implied. Prof Henrique Martins proposes a solution to the issue in Europe, with the creation of a social network for health, dubbed “the EU health place”.

In the Winning Practices section, Sara Coelho and colleagues explore H360 Health Analysis, a national pioneer project that aims to paint a comprehensive picture of breast cancer management in Portugal, and Rebecca Morton Doherty highlights key challenges and enablers for bridging the “Policy to Practice” gap for quality, equitable cancer care based on experience in cities across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

How are you supporting evolving technology in your institution and/or country? We welcome your thoughts and success stories.

Meanwhile, enjoy this latest issue of HealthManagement!