New FHI study reveals connected-care technology could be missing link in SA value-based healthcare

According to the 2018 Future Health Index (FHI) report, SA’s health system value measure is below the 16-country average – in line with many other developing markets such as Brazil, India and China.

The third annual FHI, commissioned by Philips, introduces the value measure as a new indicator of the value delivered by healthcare systems in developed and developing markets.

The study combines criteria associated with healthcare efficiency, satisfaction and access to care to derive the measure, which provides a benchmark for the evaluation of a health system's progress towards effective healthcare.

Below-average scores across all evaluated factors directly translated into a low value measure for South African health:

• Access – in particular a low density of healthcare professionals and a large risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care – is hindering value the most.
• There is a gap when it comes to healthcare professionals and the general population’s perception of the healthcare available to them, as nearly half (45%) of the general population in SA agrees the healthcare available to them via the health system meets their needs, while only about one in three (30%) of healthcare professionals would say the same. Despite the perception gap, the overall satisfaction with the healthcare system rates below average.
• SA also falls below the average when it comes to efficiency, as a result of above-average healthcare spend as a percentage of gross domestic product, while obtaining below-average health outcomes.

Comparing local findings with data from the other 15 countries highlights the crucial role that technologies can play in delivering more integrated and sustainable healthcare for connected-care and digital tools. 

Connected Care is defined by Alliance for Connected Care, as the real-time, electronic communication between a patient and a provider, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and secure email communication between clinicians and their patients.

“One of the most important findings from the 2018 FHI is that countries with a high value measure tend to exhibit high levels of connected-care technology adoption,” says Jasper Westerink, CEO of Philips Africa.

This indicates that integrating connected-care technology into health systems can accelerate countries along the path to value-based healthcare.

In support of this belief, both the general population and healthcare professionals in SA see the importance of connected-care technology in prevention (76% and 81%, respectively) and in population health overall (76% and 78% respectively), although the technology is still perceived to be underused.

“This is an opportunity for public and private sector alike to come together to bridge these value gaps and ensure improved, and sustainable quality care across the region,” says Westerink.

As the world stands at the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, SA must consider what this era has to offer, and how new technologies could improve access, satisfaction and efficiency.

“As technologies fuse, seamlessly bringing together the best of the physical, digital and biological spheres, our health systems can only benefit – as we’re already seeing in markets that lead the connected-care age,” he says.  

For additional 2018 FHI-related content, visit www.futurehealthindex.com.

This article was paid for by Philips.