Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue, it is also a healthcare issue. A new study co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School has revealed that climate change will be one of the key factors driving global healthcare trends over the next 50 years, with people forced from their homes and suffering from ailments caused by extreme heat combined with stagnant air in urban areas.
“An increase in temperature is not only the displacement of tens and hundreds of thousands of people to new countries. The result of this will be an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, the spread of diseases atypical for (certain) places, psychological problems, etc. This is a very long-term trend with hard-to-predict consequences,” said an expert interviewed for the study.
The study, titled “Medicine of the future: How and who is going to treat us?”, identifies three key drivers of the healthcare industry over the next 50 years: climate change, well-being, and data-informed personalisation. It also outlines several “signals” central to each of these three drivers.
Regarding climate change, the key signals are climate migrants forced to leave their regions and low-carbon healthcare. “Sustainable approaches in healthcare and alignment with global climate goals present a challenge but at the same time provide an opportunity for innovations in design and operations,” the study states.
The study emphasises the importance of shifting towards a value-based healthcare system, where hospitals receive funding based on patient health outcomes, and the use of smart delivery of drugs to specific organs at specific times and doses. The study also highlights the role of technology, such as smart hospitals and wearable devices, in delivering data-informed personalisation to patients.
“Advanced vendors will be interested in the new way of working. New companies could appear. They will receive bonuses for achieving the required results,” said an expert interviewed for the study.
Senior business leaders must understand the implications of climate change on healthcare to be able to adapt and innovate in the industry. As Dr. Shasha Lu, Associate Professor of Marketing at Cambridge Judge, states, “with today’s breakthroughs in genetics and bioinformatics and the arrival of high-tech startups, medicine is rapidly moving from healthy lifestyle recommendations for everyone to personalised programs.” The future of healthcare will require a focus on sustainability, well-being, and data-informed personalisation, and businesses that can adapt to these trends will thrive in the years to come.
