Medical Research and its Impact on Healthcare Design - the ...

MEDICAL RESEARCH AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTHCARE DESIGNClinical physiologycenterImage-processingcenterLaboratorycenterPatient navigatorHealth-statusassessmentEBM databaseWireless bedsidesystemPharmacyConsultantspecialistElectronic medical recordTelemedicineconsultantAll information regarding each patient could displayed on a patientnavigator.• The underst<strong>and</strong>ing of genetic predisposition.This will make it possible to predict healthrisks for individuals by establishing links betweendefect genes <strong>and</strong> specific diseases. Furthermore it will serve as the basis for individualizeddrug treatment.• More readily available information. Throughthe Internet a whole new world of “Healthportals” will be accessible. These will be anythingfrom general health sites with medical<strong>and</strong> health news to highly specialized diseasespecific sites aiming at selective groups of patients.• More active <strong>and</strong> informed consumers. Thepatient educates her-/himself via chat groups<strong>and</strong> active patient groups on the Internet <strong>and</strong>via high-quality TV production in specificeducational channels.• Increasing responsibility of consumers. Thepatient will take active part in the diagnosticprocess e.g. by using “home diagnostics”.Visions of the future for the structure of thehealthcare systemIn a shorter perspective than 5 years it is not likelythat the medical research <strong>and</strong> developmentwill have any greater impact on the structure <strong>and</strong>function of hospitals <strong>and</strong> the health-care systemthan the one which is the result of already partlyimplemented, established new technologies asdescribed above. The fast development in prevention,diagnostics, therapeutics <strong>and</strong> communicationtechnologies will, however, create conditionsfor a society where most of the healthcarecan be h<strong>and</strong>led locally <strong>and</strong> close to the patientregardless where you live. The need for largehospitals will be reduced. The “hospital-free”society is coming closer. To bring this visiona step further let us first look on the presentstructure of the Swedish healthcare system. Inthat you can identify five distinct organisationallevels. Three of these levels include different-sizedhospitals, each with <strong>its</strong> own emergency ward<strong>and</strong> surgical department, which h<strong>and</strong>les similar47