Cities and regions around the world are grappling with the dual challenges of aging populations and growing healthcare demands. This is especially true in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region where many hospitals – public and private – are struggling with staff shortages, high costs for new buildings and old hospitals that need to be modernised.
Though the landscape of healthcare continues to evolve, the question remains: Can healthcare have a human touch in our digital age? Finding the right balance between technology and human connections that make up good care is a challenge for hospitals, especially in the APAC region where caregiving is deeply ingrained in the culture.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a choice between technology and human care. We can adopt technologies that are easy to implement without losing the empathy and warmth of good care.
Let’s get into how we can integrate technology into care without compromising the human touch.
Navigating the Changing Landscape: Aging Populations and Staffing Shortages
Here’s the big issue: the aging population in the APAC region. Medicine has advanced and people are living longer than ever before. This is a good thing but it also means a huge increase in demand for healthcare services, especially in developed countries where the proportion of elderly citizens is growing.
And to make things worse, studies show that healthcare systems across the APAC region are facing chronic staff shortages, especially in nursing. Countries that will need the most nurses and midwives in 2024 are struggling to maintain the right nurse-to-patient ratio. In some areas, employment contracts contribute to high turnover rates among healthcare professionals.
And adding a single hospital bed can cost from $1 to $3 million, while building a new hospital can take years.
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise: Filling the Gaps in Healthcare
At Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, we know the challenges that hospitals in the APAC region are up against. We’ve been providing the infrastructure for hospitals to transform their care. Our solution is a location-aware platform that adds collaboration, notifications, connectivity and real-time information flow. Built around seamless wireless mobility and open systems integration it works with your existing infrastructure. This means simplified access, operations, clinical processes and workflows.
Take Kingsway Hospitals in Nagpur, India for example. They deployed our location-aware communication solutions to improve staff collaboration and real-time patient monitoring. The results were impressive: response times were reduced, patient care was more efficient and resources were optimised through seamless team communication. Kingsway was able to manage staff shortages and meet growing patient demands. This is how technology can improve operational efficiency without compromising care.
Through mobile apps that integrate notification and location services, caregivers can connect, communicate and collaborate – from the patient’s bedside to beyond the hospital walls.
If you’re a hospital manager or director looking to address staffing or efficiency challenges, our team can provide customized solutions for you.
Cost vs Quality Care in the Future
Governments in developed and developing countries face the challenge of delivering quality care while keeping costs down. It’s a tightrope walk: managing costs while expanding services to meet growing healthcare demands. Easy to say.
As new hospitals open to serve aging populations, it’s clear that traditional healthcare models won’t cut it. Some regions may have enough doctors, but without the supporting staff structures, patient care suffers. Countries need to modernise old hospitals and adapt to current healthcare needs without overspending.
The answer to these pressures is obvious: Technology. Technology can deliver cost effectiveness while maintaining or improving care quality. But how does that play out in real life?
Hospitals must look beyond the immediate and plan for the long term. Existing facilities must be designed with the future in mind, with technologies that meet today’s patient needs and tomorrow’s needs for 5, 10 or even 20 years to come.
The Future is Here: Technology + Human Care
These technologies don’t mean losing the human touch in healthcare; in fact they enhance it. Technology allows healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care. And while technology provides the infrastructure for efficiency and precision, it’s the healthcare workers who deliver empathy, compassion and the personal touch to patients.
Healthcare in the APAC region can anticipate that technology will be their partner to deliver sustainable quality care. As hospitals evolve, technology will enable them to deliver on their promise of care for all. Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is already working with hospitals across the region to implement solutions that address these needs. Whether it’s communication, workflow automation or virtual care options, we can help you navigate the complexities of modern healthcare. Get in touch with us today to book a meeting and start your digital transformation.