The scientists have just published a study, entitled "Future Information Technology for the Healthcare Sector", addressing the questions: Which IT applications will be technically feasible in the healthcare branch by 2020? And: Do patients actually want them? By questioning 200 experts from research institutions, businesses and associations, the Fraunhofer researchers found 36 applications which participants considered to be feasible, meaningful for the patients and economically profitable.
In just six years time, for instance, the experts expect that IT systems will be used for remotely monitoring high risk patients, analysing the information obtained and alerting a doctor should an emergency arise. It should take the same time to develop an implantable chip on which the data necessary for the treatment of the patient will be stored. In 2016, there will be emergency genetic testing in order to quickly identify people who cannot identify themselves, experts predicted. And robots will relieve nursing staff of heavier duties in many hospitals in 2018.
Due to these innovations, new markets will develop, interviewees said. This applies, for instance, to radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, which already play a large role in logistics today. These wireless labels could help Alzheimer patients to find lost objects, or they could store treatment data and the medication doses of patients in hospitals.
The questionnaire also revealed that most IT innovations in the healthcare sector were considered highly desirable. These included the standard use of virtual reality in training medical staff (predicted for 2012) and the development of a retina implant helping the blind to orientate themselves in a room (feasible by 2018). Other possible IT applications, however, met with less enthusiasm - mainly due to data protection concerns or a loss of 'human touch'.
For example, 64% of interviewees did not like the idea of having a chip implanted which stored their medical data. 20% did not approve of emergency genetic testing. Robots in nursing met with criticism from 54% of persons interviewed. Nevertheless, they also agreed that demographic change and the lack of trained nursing staff might make robot nurses an inevitable fact. Prototypes are already being tested.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.isi.fhg.de/homeisi.htm
For the complete study (in German), visit:
http://www.fazit-forschung.de
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