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The future is now,

        because healthcare is changing…








        The next generation of healthcare            their conditions are already informed consumers of
        buildings will be very different             clinical care, rather than passive recipients, and they will
        from the hospitals, clinics and              increasingly want to access services on smart-phones
                                                     and mobile devices. But the impact of technology
        GP surgeries we are familiar with            will go far beyond simply providing mobile apps for
        today. A revolution in building design       patients to have basic interactions with doctors, or
        is already upon us, prompted by              book appointments.  The revolution will be driven by a
        an acceleration of technological             combination of the widespread use of networked smart
        innovation, rapidly-ageing                   sensors, vastly increased computing power, ever better
        populations, changing expectations           telecoms, improvements in robotics, and strides forward
                                                     in artificial intelligence (AI), together with algorithmic
        of how healthcare should be                  computer decision-making.
        provided, and a growing realisation
        that the environment is an important         AI-powered systems will be able to analyse data from
                                                     sensors that provide continual or ‘on demand’ monitoring
        part of the healing process.                 of a patient’s condition, while video conferencing will
                                                     enable doctors to reach, diagnose and treat patients
        According to United Nations estimates, the proportion   wherever they are.  This means that an ever-larger
        of the world’s population aged over 60 will triple by   proportion of medical care is likely to be provided by
        the end of this century, to make up more than a third of   teams of experts all housed together in a technological
        all people, leading to a huge increase in chronic health   hub.  Meanwhile better surgical techniques will vastly
        conditions relating to old age. And the effects of ageing   limit the time even those undergoing serious procedures
        are likely to be exacerbated by the health problems that   have to spend in hospital. Other factors will affect
        accompany increasing obesity, with a fifth of all people   how these changes play out, however, including the
        predicted to be obese by 2025. In the UK, for example,   continuing drive for efficiency and cost reduction,
        the number of over-65s with four illnesses is expected to   increasing bacterial resistance, and the need for resilience
        more than double in 20 years to 2.5m people. Countering   to climate change and future energy scarcity.
        this, the rise of genomics, stem cell therapy and progress
        in immunology could limit the mortal threat from
        infectious diseases and cancer.
        It is increasingly understood that the environment in   60+yrs
        which patients are treated and cared for is a contributing
        factor to the healing process. As such, patient-centred
        design is a key ingredient in a successful healthcare   a third of all people will be
        facility not only in terms of the physical space but also   over the age of 60 by the
        the virtual one. Patients armed with information about
                                                     end of this century



        03    Future Ready Healthcare What if we can?
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