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| Caroline Clarke, chief executive officer and executive vice president of Philips APAC, speaks during the announcement of the Philips Future Health Index 2023 Report at Philips APAC headquarters in Singapore, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul |
By Baek Byung-yeul
SINGAPORE ― Philips' annual Future Health Index showed health care workers in the Asia-Pacific region are actively embracing digital technology in a bid to overcome staff shortages and financial pressure in the sector, Philips APAC said, Wednesday.
"For decades, health care has been primarily delivered in centralized facilities like hospitals but this latest report shows that APAC's health care leaders are making bold changes as they navigate unprecedented staff and financial challenges," Caroline Clarke, chief executive officer and executive vice president of Philips APAC, said during the announcement of the Philips Future Health Index 2023 Report at the Dutch health care company's Asia Pacific headquarters.
For this year's index, Philips APAC surveyed nearly 3,000 health care professionals in 14 countries, including Australia, Indonesia and Singapore.
The CEO said the survey showed a new model of health care is emerging in the Asia-Pacific region that utilizes technology and data to bring care closer to patients and delivers in a more efficient and environmentally sustainable way, as the healthcare sector has been struggling with unprecedented financial pressures and staff shortage.
"We are seeing a shift towards a distributed model of care delivery in APAC that uses smart and connected digital health technologies and data to bring care closer to patients, at home or in the community, to where they are, anytime-anywhere," the CEO said.
What Philips APAC has found through this survey is that healthcare workers in the Asia-Pacific region, especially young professionals, have seen enough through the pandemic to realize that digital technology can help them serve patients more efficiently, she said. Also, they are embracing this change very actively and the wave of this digital transformation has become irresistible.
"Health care leaders and young health care professionals in APAC actually share a very clear vision of the future of care delivery," Clarke said. "Firstly, it will be connected. It will bring health care closer to the patient and closer, including virtual care. Young professionals prioritize convenient workplace factors such as connectivity and advanced technology. The second area is efficiency, so digital technology is key to address staff shortage to optimize operational efficiencies and clinical workflows and to enhance patient outcomes."
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| Kevin Kim, head of Solutions at Philips APAC, demonstrates Philips Lifeline, a wearable fall detection necklace, at Philips APAC's headquarters in Singapore, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul |
In regard to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) into the health care industry, the survey showed that 74 percent of health care leaders said they are planning to invest in AI in the next three years. Singapore led with 84 percent, followed by Indonesia with 76 percent and Australia with 63 percent. What they want most from AI is outcome prediction (39 percent) and clinical decision support (35 percent).
"The health care industry is an example where there are huge burdens on resources and real issues on staff shortages. So AI is a huge benefit," the CEO said. "Thirty-nine percent of young health care professionals said being at the forefront of AI is a reason for them to stay in their workplace. So, that is a huge impact there."
During the event, Kevin Kim, head of Solutions at Philips APAC, also showcased how Philips is utilizing AI to make patient care more efficient. The company also introduced Philips Lifeline, a wearable fall detection necklace, to demonstrate how digital technology and patient care can be directly and competently linked.
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