How Is Health Care Expected to Change in the Future?

People will always need health care, but how we deliver health care continues to evolve. While human touch will always be irreplaceable, health care is also expected to become more digital as patients will get more medical consultation through automated practices.

• Telemedicine is expanding quickly, especially in rural areas. Many patients are able to consult with specialists living in other cities via online technologies without leaving their hometown — or even their home!
• Virtual nursing uses artificial intelligence and other technologies to do things like check heart rates and other vitals. Virtual nursing will continue to become an everyday practice, creating new opportunities and changing how we seek care. In the hospital, Stormont Vail is now introducing virtual nurses to answer questions and monitor patients through technology, reducing the demands put on bedside nurses.
• Despite increases in technology, there will always be a need for nurses and others with specific training in the world of health care. New simulation technologies will provide employees training and more experience with different types of situations before they ever step foot on a patient floor.  
• Technology will also continue to add precision to how we conduct surgeries and other treatments. With each new piece of machinery, new jobs are created to operate, maintain, and train people to use that equipment.
• Computer-based professionals are in high-demand to both operate high-tech equipment and to set up and maintain the complicated computer networks used in hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices.  
• Environmental and maintenance jobs will continue to have to adapt to new technologies in areas such as sanitation, energy, and climate control.