Clinician of the future

The clinician of the future, like today’s clinician, will be knowledgeable and skilled across a range of competencies, from clinical to digital. But the way clinicians work and the demands on them are likely to look different in the future. Elsevier Health developed the Clinician of the Future study and global report to explore trends and changes that will impact the future of healthcare – and therefore shape the clinician of the future. On the basis of a series of interviews, a large-scale global survey and roundtable discussions with key opinion leaders and students, we have pictured the clinician of the future from five perspectives, highlighting different aspects of their roles and the healthcare systems in which they might be working in 10 years’ time. Each of the five essays in the report looks at the clinician of the future from a different angle; the future clinician will most likely encompass all of these projections with some having a stronger focus in certain areas. The Future Clinician as a Partner for Health For details, see Chapter 1 on page 11 In the Clinician of the Future survey, more than half of clinicians around the world (56%) agreed patients have become more empowered to manage their own conditions over the last decade. Despite the increase in the use of technology and remote consulting, 82% of clinicians agreed that soft skills such as listening and being empathetic have become increasingly important among clinicians in the last decade. Clinicians also shared that they are pressed for time: only half (51%) of clinicians agreed the amount of time they are able to spend with patients is sufficient to give them good care. Drivers of change ± More informed patients: in the survey, 86% of clinicians agreed the rise of patients informed about their health conditions is driving healthcare change ± Patient-consumers: 90% of clinicians who responded to the survey agreed that quality measures, including patient satisfaction, have driven change in healthcare in the last decade The decade ahead – key findings from the Clinician of the Future study ± 62% of clinicians agreed the role of the clinician will change to be more of a partnership with the patient in 10 years’ time ± 51% of clinicians agreed telehealth will negatively impact their ability to demonstrate empathy with patients ± 56% agreed patients will be more empowered to take care of their own health ± 77% of clinicians expect real-time patient analytics to be critical to personalized care in the future ± 43% expect every individual will have their genome sequenced to support illness prevention The clinician of the future Working in partnership with their patients, the clinician of the future is adept at utilizing health data and advanced clinical insights to make informed decisions. They communicate with patients in a variety of ways, from limited virtual check-ins to in-person consultations at patients’ homes. Clinicians’ patients have much greater control over their own medical records and health data. To keep up with the latest developments, the clinician of the future has more dedicated time set aside to learn and embrace new digital approaches.