Report

Innovation, Sustainability & the Future of Healthcare

The days of healthcare as we know it may be limited. Recent advances in biomedical research are paving the way to precision medicine, shifting the historical medical paradigm from the search for a universal solution to the development of personalized treatments. The availability of large volumes of digitized clinical data, combined with the arrival of powerful artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, may have even deeper implications. From diagnosis to clinical decision-making, from empowering the patient to redefining the role of the physician, big data is becoming one of the cornerstones of medical research and practice. At the same time, the world is seeing dramatic changes in demographics, life expectancy and the prevalence of certain diseases. Together, these three elements (precision medicine, big data and a rapidly changing society) are profoundly transforming the healthcare landscape. The challenge is great, and the opportunities many; and yet the details of the actual implementation are far from clear.

The studies included in this report (6 research papers and 4 case studies) show that the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in the European healthcare setting presents a series of unique challenges that will require large, collaborative and transparent efforts crossing boundaries of profession and geography. Although the technology is advancing quickly, issues of data sharing, privacy, biases, patients’ experiences, training and integration need to be carefully and continually addressed. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed some of the most pressing challenges affecting healthcare, and highlighted the benefits that a robust integration of digital and AI technologies in the healthcare setting may bring.