Digital healthcare: What the future holds for our health

Recent innovation in healthcare has evolved the way we’re looking after ourselves. Here’s how AI and digital technology are shaping our health and wellbeing for years to come.

For many people the pandemic led to positive and welcome change, sparking a deeper connection to the way we live our lives and to the quality of our physical and mental health.

“This 'global pause' offered the opportunity for Australians to reset and rebuild how we engage in health and wellbeing, as we look towards the future,” explains Linda Opie, HCF’s head of health and wellbeing.

A 2020 study even showed that 83% of people surveyed believe the pandemic helped them appreciate things usually taken for granted. Another 67% said they had more time to do enjoyable things and over 62% said they now pay more attention to their health.

“The countrywide lockdowns meant the overall motivation levels of Australians dropped,” says Linda. “However, we’re also seeing that these experiences boosted our resilience in the form of nurturing of self and others, and nurturing of our emotions and relationships.”

Our experiences with COVID-19 also encouraged a renewed interest in holistic, integrated wellbeing, prevention and self-care, says Linda. This increase of awareness in prevention and wellbeing, coupled with the restrictions of life in a pandemic, have sparked what seems to be lasting change in our behaviour.

The result has been a range of innovations and solutions in the healthcare sector designed to meet our changing needs. These developments highlight the increased move towards prevention as well as a more positive, inclusive and holistic approach to health than we’ve seen before.

Innovation #1: The maturing of telehealth and digital care

How the pandemic delivered: One of the most substantial aftereffects of the pandemic has been our increased reliance on digital healthcare. It’s now seen as part of a more open, inclusive and patient-centred approach to care in Australia. In particular, telehealth and digital care options are now seen as affordable, efficient and convenient ways to safeguard our health.

“The benefit of telehealth is definitely having access to more support when you might be limited in terms of your location or accessibility,” explains psychologist Tara Hurster. “It can also be beneficial for people who are busy or for whom work is quite stressful, and those who don't necessarily have access to a health professional or therapist around the corner. Telehealth has been of huge benefit to them.”

A recent PwC study even found that the likelihood of people using virtual healthcare has increased post-pandemic, with around 50% of respondents saying they were likely or very likely to use virtual health services in the future.

While this increased demand has brought innovations like digital scripts and sophisticated video consultations, the study confirmed that most Aussies see the major benefits of digital health as saving time, increased convenience and quicker access to care.

“The pandemic became a catalyst for the implementation of online therapy and e-health tools in routine practice. The benefits were support in diagnoses, therapy and providing a bridge for ongoing care during the pandemic,” confirms Linda. “This evolution is likely to move into the gradual adoption of further new technologies, for example, the use of drones as delivery for critical supplies, robotics, 3D printing of healthcare-related items, and smartphone-enabled monitoring of patient adherence to treatments.”

What the future looks like: Despite the Australian Government limiting online health services in July this year, over 200 telehealth services have been made permanently available across the country, including several programs supported by us.

GP2U and PSYCH2U^{^} offer eligible members access to online video support and navigation to general practitioners and other mental-health services.

We’ve also partnered with a range of telehealth providers, with eligible members able to claim some virtual appointments for birthing classes, dietetics, exercise physiology, lactation consultations, occupational therapy, podiatry, psychology, physiotherapy and speech pathology.

However, Linda points out the future of healthcare would benefit from being a hybrid model between online services and in-person consultations.

“Online programs and support do not replace the vital importance of in-person consultations, especially for patients with more severe life-threatening conditions and diagnoses,” she explains. “So, the focus should remain on a new model of blended healthcare delivery, with more emphasis on preventive measures, remote care and substantial technological dependence based on conditions.”

Innovation #2: More at-home health options

How the pandemic delivered: The heavy focus on overall health, immunity and social distancing throughout the pandemic encouraged Australians to explore the options for at-home health.

During this time we adopted telehealth as a necessary way to access our health providers and services. In February 2021, the use of telehealth was 38 times higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a McKinsey & Company report. Twitter shares of healthy recipes increased by 20% from May 2020 to January 2021 and there was a bigger focus on exercise.

“The pandemic has highlighted the need and importance to have a closer look at lifestyle risk factors that contribute to the burden of disease,” confirms Linda. “That means that a certain level of self-awareness around exercise was forced on the population.”

There was a rise in at-home workouts during 2020, including home gyms and fitness apps, with a University of Sydney study finding that 60% of adults surveyed used a mobile app for health purposes during this time, while 38% used a fitness tracker. This demand, which was mirrored across the world, increased the number of health and fitness app downloads to 2.48 billion in 2021, up from 1.97 billion in 2019. Socially distanced sports like surfing and skateboarding rose in popularity, especially with women.

“People became more curious and that led to people starting to integrate more movement or physical exercise in their daily routines due to flexible at-home working conditions,” explains Linda. “This positively impacted the bigger agenda of the vital importance of health and wellbeing activities and preventive care as opposed to just managing disease.”

When it comes to working from home, Linda says the increase in use of standing desks, treadmill desks and ergonomic accessories has made home offices healthier, at least in the short term, although she points out the uneven trade-off.

“While many people invested in standing desks, for example, by working from home, incidental activity such as walking to the bus or train station, climbing stairs and even walking between meeting rooms was taken away from their day,” she explains.

To combat this, she adds, hopefully some of the changes to at-home wellness continue to grow in popularity, and if the Klarna The State of Smooth: 2021 Reopening Insights Report is anything to go by, it will. The report found that of those respondents who worked out at home during the pandemic, 86% say they’ll continue to do so.

What the future looks like: During the pandemic, complex at-home health treatments experienced a rise in necessity and this is set to continue. We’re continuing to support specific health services now and in the future, for eligible members who need treatment for intravenous (IV) therapy antibiotics, complex wound care with negative pressure wound therapy, rehabilitation after a hip or knee replacement, and IV chemotherapy⁺.

As well as supporting various at-home treatments, we also offer the COACH program, a telephone support program provided at no extra cost for eligible members with heart conditions or diabetes^#.

For parents-to-be, eligible members can access Birth Beat, 100% online education and resources for learning about pregnancy, birth and parenting^**.

“The rise in online care and at-home treatments has highlighted for many Australians the role that healthcare funders play in guiding and navigating across our members’ health journeys and being a trusted health partner that is not solely seen as a payer of claims,” says Linda.

Innovation #3: A leap ahead for AI integration

How the pandemic delivered: Although it may seem futuristic, artificial intelligence has already been a part of our lives for many years, and you can find it in everything from Google searches to how our cars’ systems work – even the chatbots offered by a growing number of businesses are powered by AI.

Incorporating AI into healthcare has been on innovation agendas since before the pandemic, but the past few years have accelerated our integration and adoption of it. In fact, according to Appen's State of AI Report, more than one-third of organisations use AI in some capacity today, and AI deployments (the final stage of implementation) have grown by 270% during the last four years.

What the future looks like: We're already seeing AI playing a powerful role in everything from early detection, diagnosis and decision-making through to better monitoring and coordinated care and treatment plans. AI in the healthcare industry is commonly being used to detect diseases, train people, make decisions and identify patients at risk of developing certain conditions. Its widespread use is due to its nature of being data-driven with the ability to make quick decisions based on highly detailed information without emotional input.

While that integration has so far been subtle and 'behind the scenes’, AI will continue to be an essential driver to the improvement of healthcare delivery in the future. As information and the intelligence capacity grows of AI tools in the health industry, so does our ability to know more about a patient. This means healthcare professionals can offer more personalised care and make more accurate and efficient recommendations.

Robots and AI go hand in hand and are also being used to help with repetitive actions and services offered in healthcare facilities. This advancement is set to continue with robotics being in increasing demand, along with AI.

Innovation #4: Better support for mental health

How the pandemic delivered: When it comes to mental health, the pandemic pushed many people to the brink as we faced unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness and grief. In March 2022, a scientific brief released by WHO highlighted the full effects of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, stating “the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25%”, with young people and women the worst hit.

“The pandemic has highlighted that our mental health needs to be maintained as much as our physical health and part of our overall health routine,” explains Linda. “This includes things like meditation, mindfulness, eating well, moving and having meaningful relationships.”

In light of this, it’s not surprising that mental health issues have still topped the chronic illness list in the 2021 Census, with 2.2 million Australians living with a diagnosed mental health illness.

With the high incidence of mental health issues among Australians (along with the increase in mental health support on offer), Tara says society has become more accepting of people with mental health conditions.

“National campaigns by Beyond Blue about anxiety and depression definitely helped to reduce that stigma.”

Along with this breakdown of stigma, there’s also now a greater awareness that everyone is impacted by mental health and affected by lifestyle risk factors in this area.

This focus, Linda says, has opened more avenues for digital and telehealth delivery of evidence-based solutions for mental health issues, like cognitive behavioural programs, telehealth psychology sessions and virtual treatments.

What the future looks like: A recent report by the Department of Health and Aged Care found that during 2020-2021 more than 3.4 million Australians sought help from a healthcare professional for their mental health.

“This is such an important insight into the state of mental health in Australia and will make a significant contribution to ongoing mental health reforms, including in service planning and workforce development,” said Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health, Dr Ruth Vine, regarding the report.

The current Australian Government has committed to delivering a range of mental health support measures including a $200 million Student Wellbeing Boost to help school kids ‘bounce back’ from the pandemic.

Along with national support charities, like Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute, we’ve partnered with several emotional-support programs, easily accessible for eligible members, including:

• This Way Up, clinically-proven online programs to help understand and improve mental challenges like stress, insomnia, worry, anxiety and depression.
• PSYCH2U, Australia's only dedicated online medical practice that gives eligible members^{^} fast and affordable access to mental health services.
• Calm Kid Central, online courses, video tutorials and access to child psychologists to help parents and carers support children between 4-11 through big emotions, at no cost for eligible members^{^^.}

Looking at the changes in society’s approach to mental health and wellbeing in general, it’s clear, says Linda, that the pandemic amplified the importance of staying healthy and preventing disease. She predicts this will continue to drive a broader health agenda globally.

“Going forward, Australian healthcare needs to always have the patient in the centre of the care. That’s vital to providing choices based on psychographic profiling, rural, remote or urban locations.”

Words by Lucy E Cousins
Published October 2022