Abstract
Exponential technologies are generally described as something that will—in a given time period—double data generation/evaluation and/or half the associated cost with it. The terminology is actually only proven for the Information and communication technology (ICT) segment at the moment, where according to Moore’s law the complexity of processors and the cost per transistor follow that path for many decades now. An example from Medical technology is the cost of genome sequencing that has dropped from millions to thousands and now to under USD 100 within a little more than a decade. In many other areas there are potential and hope that certain technologies (see Figure 1) could lead to significant clinical knowledge gains and procedure improvements combined with cost reductions. But is this just a hype or something that in combination with other emerging technologies could really provide solutions for the problems that we will face in present and future healthcare delivery? Specifically the increasing life expectancy and the ageing societies in combination with less and less available healthcare staff, ever increasing cost associated with healthcare delivery/products and services, or the inequalities between rural and urban areas particularly in developing nations that need to be addressed urgently. This paper will present the potential impact of some exponential technologies—in selected areas—on the future challenges of healthcare delivery with a particular focus on reverse innovation, where new technologies and delivery approaches will be first implemented in developing nations before being accepted and adopted by the developed world. It will also point out some changes that need to be implemented by universities for the education of future medical technology developers and the effect that could have on entrepreneurial opportunities.
Highlights
The global healthcare market is currently greater than US$ 3 trillion and growing
The terminology is only proven for the Information and communication technology (ICT) segment at the moment, where according to Moore’s law the complexity of processors and the cost per transistor follow that path for many decades
This paper will present the potential impact of some exponential technologies—in selected areas—on the future challenges of healthcare delivery with a particular focus on reverse innovation, where new technologies and delivery approaches will be first implemented in developing nations before being accepted and adopted by the developed world
Summary
The global healthcare market is currently greater than US$ 3 trillion and growing. It is expected, that in the United States one quarter of the total gross domestic products will be spend on healthcare within the two decades. Avoiding medical problems potentially has a huge negative financial impact for healthcare companies, clinical service providers, and everyone involved in healthcare delivery [1]. At the same time there is a growing concern that the healthcare industry’s focus is, at the moment, mainly on developing advanced technologies that only help the relatively small population of the developed world, rather than to invest money into providing products and services that would simplifythe complexity ofhealthcare. What are the requirements to open healthcare for these technologies so that they can have a huge and positive impact (Figure 1)?
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