The healthcare and life sciences industries are developing at an exponential level, working together to deliver affordable, cost-effective solutions and providing better outcomes for patients and their families. In the next five years, the constraints of an ageing population, the increase of costs and demands in healthcare will be conquered.

Within the coming years, patients will be given more power to manage their own treatment and condition. They will be able to respond and interact with the healthcare system clearly by providing better data and tracked outcomes to explain what works or does not work. Individuals will be more knowledgeable about their body and devote time and money to wearables and validated health apps, utilising the data to get the best treatment that suits them.

For healthcare providers, the opportunities to streamline processes will increase, redesigning care pathways so that they can provide the right care, at the right place and time. Non-traditional healthcare companies are also disrupting the industry, providing their engineering expertise and customer experience. This partnership with traditional providers will deliver a new level of healthcare, blurring the boundaries between existing healthcare providers and new entrants such as technology giants.

To prepare for this change, it is necessary to take a few risks in the development and business model. Ask questions about how you are operating at the moment. The rise of technologies such as automation and robotics is revolutionising healthcare methods, deploying machine learning and artificial intelligence to further increase productivity.

Although many see it as a challenge, it is unlikely that technology will diminish jobs within the industry, but rather provide workers with more time spent caring for patients. Healthcare industry workers will be assured that their systems and processors will be working alongside them through new technologies to optimise time and skills.