Key Findings of the Future Health Index:
- South African (SA) healthcare leaders are ahead of the global average in implementing AI for clinical decision support and investing in generative AI.
- Almost two-thirds of the country’s leaders have already implemented remote patient monitoring for mental healthcare (62%), post-operative monitoring (56%), pre-operative care (55%), chronic disease management (55%), and elderly care (55%).
Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, have released the South African findings of its Future Health Index (FHI) 2024 report: Better care for more people. This is the 9th edition which surveyed nearly 3,000 healthcare leaders in 14 countries worldwide, and indicates that SA healthcare leaders are at the forefront in the adoption of AI enabled healthcare innovation to improve patient care impacted by workforce shortages, financial challenges, and growing demand.
The report highlights the following major changes:
- The rapid transformation of South Africa’s healthcare sector. In 2021, just 15% of healthcare leaders cited AI as an area of investment, while today South African healthcare leaders are more likely than the global average to have already implemented AI for clinical decision support, including 60% or more for treatment planning, in-hospital patient monitoring, and preventative care, compared to 37%, 43% and 36% globally [3], respectively.
- Massive Growth in Remote monitoring: In 2022, only 27% of healthcare leaders reported investing in remote patient monitoring, while the FHI 2024 reports that almost two-thirds of the country’s leaders (62%) have already implemented remote patient monitoring for mental healthcare outcomes. They are also more likely than the global average to have already introduced remote patient monitoring in post-operative monitoring (56% vs. 43% globally), pre-operative care (55% vs. 41%), chronic disease management (55% vs. 50%), and elderly care (55% vs. 42%).
“The local adoption of digital technologies to ease staff shortages and improve outcomes signals a unified commitment to deliver better care,” states Romulen Pillay, Managing Director, Philips Southern Africa. “But the pace and scale of adoption is just the beginning. We need to take equal collective action to ensure these advancements are implemented responsibly to avoid unintended consequences.”
Concerns and Barriers
- Data Bias: 91% of healthcare leaders are concerned about data bias widening disparity in health outcomes, with 23% describing themselves as extremely concerned, significantly higher than the global average (16%). To mitigate the risks associated with bias, healthcare leaders say it is important to create policies for the ethical use of data and AI (46%) and to ensure staff diversity in data and AI (43%).
- Barriers: While 45% of SA healthcare leaders believe the biggest opportunities lie in optimizing treatment plans and care pathways, 97% report data integration challenges within their organizations, affecting their ability to provide timely, high-quality care. The impact is clear: healthcare professionals lose precious time accessing or integrating data, leaving less time for patient care.
- Staff Shortage Crippling Care: This is further aggravated by persistent workforce pressure, with leaders recognising the impact of staff shortages on patients, leading to delays in care, less time with clinicians, and reduced availability of treatment options. “South Africa’s healthcare leaders are facing multiple challenges as a result of staff shortages, an issue that shows few signs of easing,” Pillay remarks. “In fact, more than half of healthcare leaders express concern over staff leaving their current roles, geographies, or the healthcare sector altogether – due to staff shortages – contributing to even greater pressure.”
- Less Patient Time Available: 60% of healthcare leaders say that staff have less time to spend with patients, while 52% report a lack of time to upskill staff and embed new technologies, which could help address these problems.
The next frontier
“In the FHI 2023 report, 59% of younger healthcare professionals cited being at the forefront of AI in healthcare as an important factor when choosing a future workplace,” says Pillay. “The adoption of AI -enabled innovation is an encouraging trend, primed to attract and retain healthcare professionals for the future.” Commented Pillay.
