100 Years
Smart hospitals aim to help patients live to 100
New trends in healthcare are targeting greater longevity through technology and better patient management
“ Healthy people are now spending more on health screening , seeking out preventative care to ensure that they don ’ t end up with conditions that would potentially affect their quality of life .”
The dream of living to 100 years of age — and live well while doing so — is becoming a reality for many , thanks to new approaches to healthcare embraced by a growing number of providers .
One of these is MWH Medical , an integrated clinical network in Singapore , which believes this represents “ the future of healthcare ,” according to its chief operating officer , Michelle Lim .
“ With new technology , medical research , and smart hospitals , living to 100 is a real possibility . For the wealthy , it ’ s not only the outcome they hope to achieve , it ’ s what they expect and actively work to achieve ,” she said at Medical Festival Asia , an online event co-conceptualised by Global Health Asia- Pacific and Messe Düsseldorf Asia that took place last December .
According to a 2018 study by Singaporean bank UBS , more than half of respondents from wealthy Western countries expected to live to 100 . This showed a shift in thinking over the last decade , it said , driven by advancements in technology .
A similar view was shared by people in Hong Kong and Singapore where 92 percent of respondents said that being wealthier would allow them to have a healthier life , while 90 percent believed that health was more important than wealth .
What is making greater longevity more realistic for many is the emergence of smart hospitals . Whereas in the past , patients would go through the healthcare system from primary healthcare to specialist hospitals and then possibly tertiary clinics at the top of the medical pyramid , this model has changed dramatically over the last 10 years .
�For medical groups like us that offer a range of services , there ’ s been a shift in how we view how the ideal healthcare setup should be , � said Lim . �The reason for this shift in focus has come from advanced technology enabled by digitisation and the ability to have and use big data that has allowed us to change how we view healthcare . In our group , the patient is at the centre of all our care .”
The big trends in healthcare are now moving towards comprehensive healthcare management , top-quality healthcare outcomes , retail healthcare services , active patient participation , and the effective management of expenditure , she added . The new model is designed not only to help patients live longer lives , but also to ensure a better quality of life in their later years .
Trends in comprehensive healthcare management now include a distinct shift from direct healthcare spending to paying for preventative health . Health providers report that a growing proportion of healthcare expenditures are coming from healthy individuals , meaning that the sick will no longer be the only or main spenders on healthcare .
“ Healthy people are now spending more on health screening , seeking out preventative care to ensure that they don ’ t end up with conditions that would potentially affect their quality of life , � said Lim .
As health awareness grows in developed countries , more is being spent on health management services , including nutrition , lifestyle changes , disease prevention , and rehab care .
The dream of living to 100 years of age
50 AUGUST 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com