What We Can Expect in Healthcare by 2025 (Global Survey Results)

[Ron Emerson (RonHealthcare)]

A Shifting Healthcare Landscape

This year, Polycom conducted a global survey of 1000 healthcare professionals to understand what the future of healthcare could look like. Overwhelmingly, our respondents identified similar concerns about challenges facing the industry and opportunities to address these challenges before they become problems. 

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Today across the world, every nation is dealing with increasing pressures in the delivery of healthcare to its citizens with rising and aging populations, physician shortages, equity in access and increasing cost pressures.

Being in the healthcare industry as long as I have and working with amazing visionaries and talking with governments and healthcare professionals in hundreds of countries, I believe universal changes in mindset and strategic objectives have begun. Organizations and governments are recognizing the need for patient-centric healthcare models and treatment at the point-of-care such as in the home and throughout the community.

In the ‘2025 Healthcare Technology Innovation Survey,’ 1000 healthcare professionals, like me, were asked about challenges and opportunities they see for healthcare in their regions. Surprisingly, the results were very similar across the globe, with few major differences.

Across all regions including Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), and North America (NA), our respondents were most concerned about the impact our aging and growing population will have on healthcare. Government policy, or lack thereof, was also seen as a leading cause of healthcare bottlenecks. The survey results also offered insight into healthcare opportunities including technology and its ability to solve our healthcare challenges.

According to the survey the three largest inhibitors to a better healthcare future are funding, access to healthcare and a lack of government support; these findings were consistent across APAC, EMEA, and South East Asia. In regions like North America and Australia, funding and access to healthcare are major concerns, but unlike other regions a disparity in the distribution of wealth is also a major problem.

When asked whether or not government policy is keeping up with healthcare innovation, a significant number of respondents—specifically North America (46%), South East Asia (43%) and Australia (39%)—stated that government policies are lacking, but many others were cautiously optimistic believing that government agencies are already in the process of amending their policies within the healthcare landscape.

It is clear that healthcare will be immensely different by 2025 and each of the challenges we face will be met with new opportunities and solutions. I am optimistic that together we can improve the state of healthcare globally and that technology can provide us with some of the solutions we are looking for.

Additional Resources:

See the Survey Results >>

Read the Press Release >>

Learn more about Technology in Healthcare >>

Hear from our Customers >>

BLOG: Microsoft and Polycom Support the Shift to Proactive Healthcare >>