Trends in Healthcare
Consumerization of the healthcare sector is a significant trend that is taking the lead in the modern world. Many people pay for health care services by themselves and hence require new and advanced tools that can meet their demands. Health care consumers expect that these services’ providers operate in a manner that allows them to consume resources prepared by other industries. For instance, the use of mobile apps in getting health care services or even mobile banking in paying for the services that they receive from healthcare providers. Healthcare consumerization, therefore, is emerging as a result of the increasing demand for the services provided by the health care sector (McSweeney-Feld et al., 2017). With the advancement in technology, there are various trends observed that are likely to impact the delivery of healthcare services in the world.
Consumerization of health care is a trend that allows consumers to have control of their records, and they can access it at any moment they want. This trend is changing the health care profession in that doctors no longer have to hide personal information of patients. The clients have full access to their data at any time, and this makes it difficult for doctors to hide any crucial information from patients. This trend is impacting negatively on the safety and confidence of the information that the doctor’s store regarding their patients (Vogenberg & Santilli 2018). With this breach, there are no more secrets in the health care profession which might compromise the quality of care that patients receive. Consumerization of health care services gives many third parties access to the private and confidential records that were stored in the hospitals, and this may compromise the safety of data in the hospital threatening the operations of the profession.
Consumerization offers clients control of the market, and therefore the health profession should be able to adapt to new demands of the market imposed by health care consumerization. Retail clinics have emerged in almost all parts of the world as a result of the convenience that clinics offer; many people go for their services. These clinics may have attachments to other major industries like pharmaceuticals which give them a platform to market their services and attract many customers. Clinics are taking the largest market share despite not being able to provide a wider range of services to customers. Due to the consumerization of health care services, clients need different methods which are convenient to them for payment of the services they receive. With the advancement experienced in technology, consumers have access to various payment methods which are convenient to them; therefore, it is the duty of the health profession to ensure that they have alternative ways of payment for patients.
Many patients, due to the consumerization of healthcare, depend on webs for information about their health status. Through websites, doctors can reschedule their programs with clients to the times that are convenient for both of them. By using an online platform, the doctors can provide various services to clients which help improve their health without having to visit the hospital physically. By healthcare professionals being available online increases customer loyalty to the firm because clients can quickly get answers to their problems at their convenience.
With consumerization, the health care sector is changing every time, which requires that a firm develops new ways of reaching their clients without compromising the quality of services offered to them. Consumerization is forcing many firms to prepare for changing circumstances in business that allows them to meet the needs of the clients (Nguyen 2018). The firm will have to consider the needs of the patients more for it to succeed in offering quality service to consumers of their services. Change that comes with consumerization requires that the service provider not only focuses on quality of care but also transparency, convenience, and customer service. The change requires the application of new technologies in meeting the needs of the people by changing the technology might compromise the business model adopted.
In conclusion, consumerization of health care, therefore, is influenced by various trends, most of which are influenced by advancement in technology. The use of mobiles for payment purposes has been necessitated by technological advancement. People are embracing changes every day, and the services that individuals require should provide convenience, customer loyalty should be flexible, and readily available at their disposal. All this has been brought about by consumers having control of their needs in the market and dictating the type of resources they would like to access.
References
Vogenberg, F. R., & Santilli, J. (2018). Healthcare Trends for 2018. American health & drug benefits, 11(1), 48.
Nguyen, J. (2018). Key Trends in Healthcare Law and Ethics. Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professions E-Book, 162.
McSweeney-Feld, M. H., Nelson, H. W., Whitner, W., & Engineer, C. Y. (2017). Emergency Preparedness Content in Health Care Administration Programs: A Decade Later. Journal of Health Administration Education, 34(1), 85-102.