In our line of work, it is almost impossible not to wonder about what the future of healthcare might hold. The following predictions are from Anna Sort, whom you might recognize as a keynote speaker at GFHEU conferences. We believe her presentation on ‘Why the world needs more gaming nurses’ was one of the highlights of our 2018 conference.

Anna paints a future where e-health works in a model similar to Netflix. A huge variety of health apps will most likely be included in a single subscription to make them more accessible to consumers. Many of these apps, she suspects, will be games following the trend set by games like Pokémon Go. Anna states: “I believe that we, as healthcare professionals, should be part of this trend and encourage the use of such games.” We wholeheartedly agree.

Anna also underlines the trend of self-diagnosis, which has become more and more common with the advent of cellphones and other technology. Despite the risks, these types of technology bring with them, there is no sign of these developments slowing down. To deal with these changes and challenges, she claims that ‘the rise of entrepreneurs with a medical or healthcare-related background’ will be absolutely necessary.

What do you guys think about these trends and predictions? Do they line up with your view on the future of healthcare or are they fundamentally different?