The necessary convergence of technology and healthcare

Amidst the controversial and often worrying narrative surrounding the consequences of artificial intelligence, a pattern emerges: whenever someone wishes to counterbalance the fears raised by cognitive automation with a positive and reassuring example, they almost always cite medicine. This is because artificial intelligence shortens the time taken to develop new drugs and improves diagnostic performance; because telemedicine, using digital twins, allows for a more equitable distribution of healthcare services across the country; or because robotics can facilitate access to the most advanced surgical procedures, even in less developed regions. But all this is taking place at a time when the outlook for the healthcare system – particularly in Europe and Italia – appears rather bleak, for reasons linked to the crisis in the welfare state, demographic trends and, above all, the organisation of healthcare staff’s working practices.

Francesca Lettieri, Martina Gnudi and Giovanni Armillotta, researchers at Randstad Research, have carried out a study on the future of the healthcare system and published, in collaboration with Ecosistema Futuro, a summary analysis focusing on the scenarios that should be taken into account in order to innovate this service, which is essential for civil society. At the heart of the problem is the shortage of healthcare staff. According to estimates by Crea Sanità, taking into account the ageing population and the influx of foreign healthcare staff into Italia, by 2030 there will be a shortfall of 24,797 doctors and 250,242 nurses. Furthermore, there are organisational challenges, inefficient allocation of human resources, unbalanced workloads, demanding working hours, inadequate pay, income disparities favouring those who can supplement their income through private practice, and regional inequalities.

In this context, could technological innovation help to alleviate the problem? “AI can revolutionise clinical practice,” says Lettieri, “by supporting early diagnosis and predictive medicine: even today, algorithms are capable of detecting tumours on X-rays at stages where the human eye cannot yet see them, or certain neurodegenerative diseases can be predicted by analysing patients’ handwriting. Of course, investment is needed. Furthermore, AI can help streamline routine administrative tasks, allowing professionals to focus on activities with greater added value.’ But that will not be enough. The relationship between technology and professionals cannot be viewed solely as one of replacement. ‘Artificial Intelligence will not be able to magically compensate for the shortage of professionals. It is true, however, that, as we have said, AI can take on certain tasks and thus alleviate excessive workloads. AI cannot replace the missing professionals, but it can free up time and energy for those who are already there, enabling them to work more effectively, treat more patients and reclaim that human connection.”

In general, according to Lettieri: “The relationship between healthcare and technology will not be one of replacement, but of hybridisation: technology is transforming the role of the healthcare professional, who will need to combine technical and digital skills with critical thinking and ethics. The challenge for doctors and nurses will be to act as mediators between innovation and the patient, preventing the dehumanisation of care, bridging the digital divide and guiding patients towards a critical use of these tools, where the doctor’s judgement is not pitted against that of technology.”

A scenario in which everything were to rely solely on technology would therefore not solve the problem. But technology will be truly important in tackling the major crisis in the healthcare system that would ensue if we did not change course, particularly at an organisational level: it is not merely a question of productivity. Above all, it is an opportunity to deliver services and forms of care that were previously impossible. This is also part of the new approach aimed at shifting the focus of investment away from an excessive concentration on treatment towards prevention, in line with a strategy geared towards extending healthy life expectancy rather than merely prolonging life spent in ill health. The report commissioned by Ecosistema Futuro indeed shows that the only favourable scenario is one in which investment in technology is underpinned by the vision required to achieve a qualitative leap in resource allocation in the face of the imminent, unavoidable challenges, particularly demographic ones: a strategy focused on developing healthcare staff, incorporating the new skills required to operate in a labour market permeated by digital technologies and within a multicultural social context that demands a multidisciplinary approach, active listening and empathy.