‘Virtual visits future of health care’

VIRTUAL visits by doctors and nurses and remote monitoring of patients at home will form part of future healthcare, reducing use of hospitals, nursing homes and GP surgeries, a report predicts.

The HealthCast 2010 report, by PwC consultants, forecasts more customised care for the individual, re-direction of funding to reward quality outcomes rather than the number of procedures carried out, a far greater role for technology, an increase in medical tourism and less tolerance of those who engage in unhealthy behaviour.

The report warns that unless resources are targeted at individuals early in life to encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyles, the predicted explosion in chronic disease such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease will create “liabilities for future generations”.