Swiss healthcare system facing digitization push
The Swiss healthcare system produces analogue information amounting to 300 million sheets of paper and 1.5 million GB of digital data per year. Today's comparatively modest digital data volume is likely to increase sharply in the future. This is the conclusion of a study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).
For the most part, the Swiss healthcare system has yet to undergo the digital transformation. Electronic payments, online shopping: in hospitals, doctors' surgeries and nursing homes, Mr. and Mrs. Swiss do not yet notice much of the benefits of digitalization. This should and must change in the coming years - not least because there is great untapped potential here in the fight against rising healthcare costs.
Highest level of digitization at hospitals
The ZHAW study concludes that around 1.5 million GB of digital health data in the form of images (X-rays, photos, etc.) and text files are generated in Switzerland every year. "73% of this data is generated in the 240 hospitals, and a further 11% by the approximately 12,000 specialists throughout Switzerland," says study leader Florian Liberatore from the ZHAW.
It is these two players who most frequently use data-intensive imaging procedures. The still comparatively modest digital data volume of 1.5 million GB today corresponds to just 0.5% of the data volume transmitted by smartphones on Swisscom's network each year.
Most paper at GPs
The analogue data generated in the Swiss healthcare system each year fills around 300 million sheets of A4 paper, equivalent to 500,000 federal folders full of paper. 43% of this accumulates with physicians in private practice (general practitioners and specialists). Another 17% are in nursing homes, where documentation is still often done on paper.
Volume stronger than in other industries
In healthcare, the volume of data is expected to grow significantly faster in the coming years than overall across all application areas. Study leader Liberatore: "The main drivers are new technologies in the field of imaging and analysis, as well as the increasing collection of sensory and other exogenous data." The experts also believe that the introduction of the electronic health record (EPD) will also contribute to overall volume growth. The EPD facilitates access to digital health data, which will lead to an increase in copying and local storage.
Easier access and more efficiency
Digitisation and the EPD make health information easily and securely accessible for patients and healthcare providers. According to the Swiss eHealth Barometer 2017, 76% of the population have a positive or at least neutral attitude towards the EPD. In the future, Mr and Mrs Swiss will have more transparency, but also more responsibility for their data. The healthcare system as a whole will gain in efficiency and quality. "The trend towards digitalisation is a great opportunity to optimise processes and reduce duplication," says the head of the study from the ZHAW with conviction.
The summary of the expert study "Swiss health data today and tomorrow" can be found at here
