Posted by Singapore: Staff shortages and inexperience with new technologies are among the top internal barriers for APAC healthcare leaders and their digital transformation initiatives. Royal Philips backed Future Health Index (FHI) 2020 report revealed in its key findings.
The FHI 2020 report in its sixth year is based on proprietary research across 14 countries, including the APAC region (Australia, China, India, and Singapore). The FHI report is among the largest global survey that analyzes the current and future priorities of healthcare leaders globally.
Predictive technologies and investment
The report findings revealed that APAC healthcare leaders are second only to European healthcare leaders (36%) in leveraging predictive analytics. But 27% of leaders say that their hospital or healthcare facility needs to invest in implementing predictive technologies, like AI and ML to be future-ready.
The AI investment currently is focused primarily on administrative tasks like automating documentation, scheduling appointments, and improving workflow, above clinical and diagnostic applications.
Going ahead, technology investment focus and its usage are likely to change as the survey findings indicated. APAC healthcare leaders look to invest in AI to predict outcomes (33%), integrate diagnostics (33%) and for clinical decision support (26%) in three years.
However, staff shortage and tech inexperience are becoming barriers to all these digital transformation initiatives in the region.
Staff shortage, new tech inexperience and Digitization
In fact, the shortage and lack of skills are among the top internal barriers impeding their ability to prepare for the future. Half of APAC healthcare leaders (51%) have cited that staff shortage and inexperience as a current impediment. And around one in four healthcare leaders (26%) say that staff shortages are holding them back.
Besides, lack of training also cited as one of the biggest barriers to the wider adoption of digital health technologies as nearly one third (30%), as are difficulties with data management (41%), likely relating to high volumes of data and a lack of clarity around ownership.
“Staff inexperience and skill shortages risk hindering further digitization in the region if not urgently addressed. It is vital that APAC healthcare leaders invest in the right training to move beyond purely administrative applications of these game-changing technologies to unlock their full potential in the future,” said Caroline Clarke, Market Leader and EVP, Philips ASEAN Pacific.