Summer 2000

The Next Twenty Years In Healthcare

In considering the human impact of advances in medical technology, it is important to account for the non-technical aspect of changes as well.

In the future, individuals will accept more responsibility for the management of their care. People are unhappy with limited choices and the way care is being overseen by a third party who does not know them. Health Educators and Patient Advocates will emerge to help people navigate the system and travel the health and wellness information highway. People will gravitate toward self care and personal accountability.

As the time spent with nurses diminishes secondary to shorter hospital stays and an increase in outpatient procedures, people are feeling the impact of having to care for themselves. This at a time when they are feeling vulnerable and in need of assistance. Private duty/Special care nurses will find a market niche as consumer spending shifts to fill this void.

Holistic health care will attract more interest as people crave attention to the more subtle aspects of their well being. Already it is estimated that 80% of the world's population uses some form of what in the western allopathic model is considered alternative or complementary medicine. Intelligent, articulate, thoughtful discussion directed at the resources available will accompany this groundswell of activity.

Customer Care is important. In the next twenty years we will experience the pendulum swing back towards service. It will start slowly, with people paying out of pocket for extra attention. We are transitioning from a society that values hard goods to one that equally values soft goods. Soft goods are things such as intellectual, psychological, emotional and spiritual support. They can be difficult to quantify and yet when we don't have them, our lives can feel out of balance. By the year 2020, we will have determined that focused, direct care is essential for the well-being of the individual and society in general.