Numerous changes affect healthcare today, such as the population shift, technological advancements, emerging trends in illnesses, and the ever-evolving patient needs ( Ginige & Maeder, 2018). There has been a shift in population as a vast population today consists of the generation referred to as "baby boomers," who are now taking their retirement hence increasing the amount of money spent on Medicaid and Medicare. The increase in 2019 and 2018 was estimated to be about 5.9% (Mettler, 2016) . These new technologies help patients become more involved in their health care. The patient's needs are also continually evolving, and healthcare needs to change in order to treat patients successfully (Kelly, 2016).
According to Erwin & Brownson, illnesses are continually emerging, which means treatment methods also need to be developed continuously to treat them effectively. For instance, the bubonic plague and Covid-19 outbreaks have resulted in drastic changes, and adjustments as many resources and healthcare experts are shifted to combat the pandemics. The CDC (Centre for Disease Control) confirms that in 2015 in the U.S., there were 11 cases of the bubonic plague, and in 5 months, three fatalities recorded. Other illnesses that are continually evolving and emerging and posing as a threat for future healthcare are STIs (Sexually transmitted infections), especially syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea, obesity, E. coli, Autism, whooping cough, kidney cancer and liver cancer (Erwin & Brownson, 2016).
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The UN (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an essential component in its quest to achieve equitably accessible and quality healthcare services. The SDGs outline the progressive framework of the United Nations for a span of 15 years. The most recent SDGs on healthcare provision focuses on progressive agendas like, the use of 5G wireless network, artificial intelligence, big data, Machine learning(ML) and IoT (Internet of Things) which are concomitant emergent technologies that will transform local, regional, national as well as global healthcare structures (Latif et al., 2017). The use of 5G technology is stemmed from other simultaneous technologies that are already in existence like fast-low latency-wireless networks that are readily available, cloud computing democracy, AI (Artificial Intelligence democratization, crowdsourcing and cognitive computing such as the IBM Watson. The combined use of these emerging technologies would make it very easy to solve numerous problems that make the existing healthcare system dysfunctional (Latif et al., 2017).
The use of 5G connection simultaneously with other technologies like big data analytics, AI, IoT and ML have the capability to transform the healthcare system as it attempts to manage the problematic emerging diseases and the ever-evolving population shifts (Latif et al., 2017). Future expectations in healthcare will include the use of ML algorithms to estimate the correct micro dosages for prescriptions, for instance, administering insulin using a pump that is implanted in the body. The ML algorithms will also assist in detecting glitches that will be forwarded to specialists who will solve those medical glitches (Latif et al., 2017). The use of e-Health and telemedicine will facilitate the upscaling of the systems used in healthcare in order to successfully meet the needs of patients associate with population shift and those that live in remote geographic locations.
Telemedicine will facilitate remote surgical operations and consultations (Latif et al., 2017). Utilizing telemedicine will allow surgeons to access haptic responses hence facilitating transmission of the feeling of touch. It will be possible for patients to take measurements of their vitals conveniently at no cost. The 5G connection will facilitate personal communications as well as make the society fully digital in such a way that sensors are entrenched such as pacemakers, consumed in the form of smart pills, skin imprints by the use of epidermal sensors and wearable technology like watches, clothes or jewelry (Latif et al., 2017).
The healthcare system is constantly progressing from patient handling guidelines to equipment and procedures employed. Technological innovations, population shifts, emerging illnesses, and evolving patient needs will significantly impact the future of the healthcare industry (Erwin & Brownson, 2016) .
References
Erwin, P. C., & Brownson, R. C. (2016). Scutchfield and Keck's Principles of Public Health Practice . Cengage Learning.
Ginige, J. A., & Maeder, A. J. (Eds.). (2018). Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation in Digital Health: Selected Papers from Global Telehealth 2018 (Vol. 254). IOS Press.
Kelly, A. S. (2016). Boutique to booming: Medicare managed care and the private path to policy change. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law , 41 (3), 315-354.
Latif, S., Qadir, J., Farooq, S., & Imran, M. A. (2017). How will 5g wireless (and concomitant technologies) revolutionize healthcare? Future Internet , 9 (4), 93.
