[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":445},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-the-bright-future-of-pharmacies":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":229,"relatedBooks":349},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":36,"project_category":65,"contact_email_category":70,"yst_prominent_words":71,"class_list":80,"better_featured_image":124,"acf":159,"yoast_meta":173,"_links":176},13786,"2026-02-09T10:29:23","2026-02-09T09:29:23",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=13786","2026-02-09T10:29:24","2026-02-09T09:29:24","the-bright-future-of-pharmacies","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-bright-future-of-pharmacies",{"rendered":17},"The Future Of Pharmacies In 3 Scenarios",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rapid development of medical technology affects every aspect of medicine and healthcare\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. E\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ven the seemingly most remote and ivory-tower-like institution \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">isn’t impervious to digital health disruption. We are, of course, talking about the pharmacy. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although these institutions play a crucial role in the healing process, the impression about pharmacists and their drug stores is often that they offer a type of commercial\u002Fbusiness-like service. The doctor prescribes the appropriate medicine with the appropriate instructions, and the pharmacist provides it in exchange for money. In short, a clear business.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However,\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the medical technological revolution, traditional, clear-cut roles become a thing of the past. Empowered patients have more agency over their health, while new technologies support the democratisation of care; shifting the hierarchical doctor-patient relationship to a partnership level. As patients of the 21st century evolve, so must pharmacies and pharmacists in the age of digital health. They \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have to redefine their place in medicine as well.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">simple drug dispenser will not be enough in a shared and community-based economy.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-30451 size-full\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1136\" height=\"936\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacist-in-the-Drug-Store.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30451\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacist-in-the-Drug-Store.jpg 1136w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacist-in-the-Drug-Store-768x633.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1136px) 100vw, 1136px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.freevector.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>as patients are the most underused resources of healthcare, pharmacists are the most underused resources of medicine. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite modern society moulding their profession into medical shopkeeping, pharmacists have much more to offer. They undergo a rigorous educational path comparable to that of physicians but are in a better situation to devote more time to patients. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>A \u003C\u002Fb>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fjamanetwork.com\u002Fjournals\u002Fjamanetworkopen\u002Ffullarticle\u002F2768247\">\u003Cb>JAMA study\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cb> even showed that patients visit community pharmacies more often than their primary care physicians. Those community pharmacists thus represent valuable access to a healthcare professional with the added bonus of having more face-to-face time to take advantage of.\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The evolution of pharmacies and pharmacists’ role in the digital health era can take several pathways. In this article, we visualise 3 scenarios for this evolution, but the actual one can be a composite of these scenarios sharing similar features while taking a shape of its own. However, the aim is to better depict the possibilities so as to be prepared for what’s next in the practical world of pharma.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cb>Visualising the future of pharmacies\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With pharmacists and drug stores adapting to the digital health era, several aspects of the pharmacy setting will have to change. From adopting new approaches to letting go of older ones, the pharmacy of the future will pack a different look and a different role. Leading authorities in the pharmaceutical industry already recognise this need for change and share the same point of view. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2013, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society already emphasised in its \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rpharms.com\u002Fresources\u002Freports\u002Fnow-or-never-shaping-pharmacy-for-the-future\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report about the future of pharmacy\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the need for pharmacies to refocus their strategy of just supplying medicines towards providing services that attend to patients’ needs. Published in 2019, the “\u003Cem>NHS Long Term Plan\u003C\u002Fem>” for the future \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthebioagency.com\u002Fnews-and-views\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-pharmacy-of-the-future\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">included the need\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for pharmacists to employ digital technology to improve their services and better interact with patients.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up, the basic concept of the future pharmacist covers the ancient “\u003Cem>mediwitch”\u003C\u002Fem> combined with the 21st-century tech-guru and scientific professional. A mediwitch, who has a special place in a given community, knows their “patients’” histories and provides basic care for their illnesses with appropriate medicine (or in the middle-ages: herbs or infusions). A tech-guru who knows how to decipher data from health trackers and wearables and is able to provide the necessary care based on the data, and of course a real scientific professional who knows the basics as well as the latest developments in pharma and medicine in general.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-30453 size-full\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacy-Robotic-Dispenser.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30453\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacy-Robotic-Dispenser.jpg 950w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F08\u002FPharmacy-Robotic-Dispenser-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: https:\u002F\u002Fgalusaustralis.com\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such a mediwitch-tech-guru would come in handy in rural, remote or smaller communities that have significantly less access to pharmacies. This phenomenon has an impact even \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.eurekalert.org\u002Fpub_releases\u002F2016-08\u002Fosu-lop080216.php\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the readmission data of hospitals\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In rural areas, where people cannot find open pharmacies as often as necessary, researchers found that the readmission data was higher than in urban areas. If the ultimate goal is the improvement of the quality of healing, this phenomenon has to be changed as well.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thankfully, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technology is at our disposal to help. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let’s see 3 potential, tech-aided scenarios\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that could have a big impact on pharmacies.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cb>Scenario 1: A boost in medical booths with pharmaceutical offerings \u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A rise in the adoption of medical kiosks to provide pharmaceutical services is the least-likely scenario. These refer to booths located in malls or food courts where patients can enter to have a basic health check and talk to a healthcare professional via telecommunication. Despite some promising offerings, such ventures have already proven to be unsuccessful. One such telemedicine kiosk startup, HealthSpot, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedcitynews.com\u002F2016\u002F01\u002Fhealthspot-fail-telemedicine\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">went bust in 2015\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; even after reportedly raising over $40 million and forming a joint venture with the Cleveland Clinic. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reasons for its failure are manifold from the overhead associated with building and delivering kiosks to the need to pre-arrange appointments. It wasn’t really healthcare on-demand, and technology has evolved past what these physical kiosks could offer; even our smartphones can achieve more. Whether it’s to keep track of suspicious skin moles, detect Alzheimer’s or measure vital signs such as temperature or oxygen saturation, smartphones are \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fyour-smartphone-as-the-swiss-knife-of-digital-health\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the real Swiss Knife of digital health\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-28633 size-full\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F178_tmf-01.png\" alt=\"Your smartphone as a swiss knife of digital health\" class=\"wp-image-28633\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F178_tmf-01.png 1920w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F178_tmf-01-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F178_tmf-01-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F178_tmf-01-1536x864.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> \u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, other companies are still treading along the medical kiosk path with pharmaceutical offerings to expand access to care. In October 2019, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedcitynews.com\u002F2019\u002F10\u002Fyou-may-think-youve-seen-this-telemedicine-kiosk-movie-before-but\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the OnMed Station started to operate\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Tampa, Florida. The health kiosk offers telemedicine visits, remote diagnosis and features an automated dispenser for common medications like antibiotics and antihistamines. In comparison to HealthSpot, this kiosk is fully HIPAA-compliant, does not require human staff and can dispense medicine. Another example is that of \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedcitynews.com\u002F2019\u002F10\u002Fyou-may-think-youve-seen-this-telemedicine-kiosk-movie-before-but\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the FDA-approved\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Consult Station from \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.h4d.com\u002Fen-uk\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">France-based HD4\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Their medical booth includes telemedicine consultation with portable diagnostic tools such as an EEG and a stethoscope; not unlike those, you could connect with your smartphone.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such booths can be adopted on a smaller scale, but given past hurdles, they might not see the widespread success that they hope to achieve. Moreover, since patients themselves have access to the same technology from the phone in their pocket, pharmacies aren’t likely to invest in such kiosks that have the same features.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cb>Scenario 2: Health consultancies\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wait in line; show your doctor’s prescription; take your medicines; pay the bill. These commercial aspects of pharmacies are all too common. And this perception is all too often at the expense of exchanging important medical information. Ever \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">decided not to ask questions about a drug and\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> leave right after settling the bill \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">because the line was so \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">long? What about not asking about \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vitamins \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and recommendations for mineral supplements \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you were checking before arriving\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">counter? \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pharmacists themselves \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">did not have time \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to spare for you \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anyway.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the help of digital health offerings, pharmacies can change from the simple drug distribution machines that we’re used to and into health consultancies. This is the more likely scenario in the short term given that technology and organisational schedules already enable it. Pharmacists will have the opportunity to provide basic care to patients with simple problems and\u002For provide health management consultations. This way pharmacies rise to almost the same level as that of primary care practices.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small.jpg\" alt=\"telemedicine and COVID-19\" class=\"wp-image-27309\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small.jpg 1920w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FCOVID-telemed-small-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most important \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">factors \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for this development is the grass-root approach to healthcare. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This involves \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">healthcare professionals – \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pharmacists – \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">providing proactive \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patient care in the location that is most convenient for the patient. When the actual presence of pharmacists is not possible, such solutions as telemedicine fall into place. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.intouchhealth.com\u002F\">Intouch Health\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003Cstrong> and its telehealth network patients in remote areas of the U.S. have access to high-quality emergency consultations for stroke, cardiovascular, and burn services in the exact time they need it.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Moreover, with telehealth, medical professionals in such towns and rural areas also have access to speciality services and patients can be treated in their own communities.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is part of the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so-called\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> point-of-care diagnostics, which allows patient diagnoses in the physician’s office, in an ambulance, at home, in the field, or in the hospital. The results of care are timely and allow rapid treatment to the patient. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, with digital health tools, a whole department’s worth of diagnostic tools can fit in a briefcase. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A digital stethoscope like the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fbridge-tradition-innovation-eko-core-digital-stethoscope-review\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eko Core\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets users livestream recordings for telemedicine purposes. Portable ultrasound devices like the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthreshold-of-a-new-era-in-diagnostics-philips-lumify-portable-ultrasound-review\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philips Lumify\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwireless-and-scanning-the-clarius-portable-ultrasound-review\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clarius\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> deliver real-time high-resolution ultrasound images. The \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ffirst-medical-tricorder-viatom-checkme-pro-review\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Viatom Checkme Pro\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> packs multiple sensors in a single, handheld FDA-approved device to measure ECG, pulse, temperature, sleep quality and more.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>From a practical point of view, we see the biggest potential in this scenario as pharmacies could easily invest in those solutions and offer such diagnostic services. Pharmacists can further help patients analyse the data generated and derive meaningful conclusions from it. \u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>In addition, pharmacists are particularly fit for this purpose as they have the time to dedicate; a luxury that most doctor-patient meetings simply don’t have.\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cb>Scenario 3:  Pharmacies as specialised point-of-care\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This final scenario takes it\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one step further in imagining the future of pharmacies. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It depicts pharmacies as specialised point-of-care centres where personalised therapies are made possible. Such centres will 3D-print multiple medications on a single pill, sequence one’s genome and combine such offerings to customise dosages based on one’s genomic data. Automated dispensers can further load the pills onto delivery drones for at-home deliveries. Such centres will serve as a gateway to access advanced healthcare technologies conveniently.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These possibilities aren’t the figment of our imagination but are existing and available today. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In mainland Europe, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.p3pharmacy.co.uk\u002F10-things-about-automated-dispensing\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30-40% of pharmacies\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use automated dispensers. Medical drone deliveries are routinely performed \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-in-rwanda\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in Rwanda\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier this year, \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fabrx.co.uk\u002F2020\u002F04\u002F06\u002Ffabrxs-pharmaceutical-3d-printer-for-personalised-medicines-m3dimaker-is-now-available\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FabRx released\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the first pharmaceutical 3D printer to manufacture personalised medicines. Their M3DIMAKER allows for the printing of medicines according to the user’s manufacturing needs, which in some cases means one month’s medication (28 pills) in around 8 minutes! Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing kits are getting more affordable and could soon \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.technologyreview.com\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F26\u002F905658\u002Fchina-bgi-100-dollar-genome\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cost only $100\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Similar DTC kits are also gaining traction.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1527\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F3d_printed_drugs_poster.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28941\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F3d_printed_drugs_poster.png 1527w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F3d_printed_drugs_poster-768x543.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F3d_printed_drugs_poster-1536x1087.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1527px) 100vw, 1527px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“\u003Cem>DTC kits will be a big item, likely to speed up faster due to COVID, in the coming 2-3 years\u003C\u002Fem>,” \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thedigitalapothecary.com\u002Fabout\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Timothy Aungst\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at MCPHS University, Worcester, told The Medical Futurist. “\u003Cem>I would expect to see business partnerships strengthen here, and companies like TruePill or Amazon or CVS to push it, possibly Walmart\u003C\u002Fem>.”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, even if some advanced technologies might get integrated in pharmacies sooner, this scenario is still a longer-term one; even though the technologies are already available to make it possible. “\u003Cem>Yes, pharmacists could do it, but again, legal issues or payments need to be addressed despite it making sense,\u003C\u002Fem>” Timothy Aungst added. Indeed, regulatory constraints could hamper this adoption. Nevertheless, such constraints are part of the process of enabling a secured and trusted adoption for the best patient outcomes.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cb>The future of pharmacies will be human\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite all the tech-talk, a constant element that will be an integral part of the pharmacy of the future is the human element. While in the background automated robotic dispensers will solve logistics and drones will handle deliveries, it’s the human pharmacy staff who will be present at the forefront of the pharmacy.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>With robots handling menial, routine tasks, pharmacists will have more time to dedicate to patients, help them interpret the data from their wearables and tackle challenges requiring creativity. \u003C\u002Fb>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several g\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ood examples out there to demonstrate how these can decrease costs and increase the quality and range of the service pharmacies provide today. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While in this article we discussed the scenarios that pharmacies can take, we also \u003Cstrong>analysed the technologies that will lead to these scenarios in \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftechnologies-shaping-the-future-of-pharma-e-book\u002F#\">our e-book\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003Cstrong> released earlier this year\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Despite modern society moulding their profession into medical shopkeeping, pharmacists have much more to offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,30493,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32,33,34,35],491,521,490,499,494,[37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64],356,6219,677,406,6221,6223,6225,6227,130,6229,1019,207,4979,519,6231,1020,218,5129,1076,275,6051,535,313,6057,568,355,6217,622,[66,67,68,69],947,948,951,952,[],[72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79],1631,1681,1723,2613,4763,4907,1571,1617,[81,14,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121,122,123],"post-13786","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-empowered-patients","category-future-medicine","category-future-of-pharma","category-healthcare-design","category-telemedicine","tag-pharma-2","tag-mediwitch","tag-drugs","tag-smartphone","tag-medical-booth","tag-healthspot","tag-onmed","tag-hd4","tag-3d-printing-2","tag-intouch-health","tag-lumify","tag-digital-health","tag-digital-pill","tag-gc4","tag-eko-core","tag-philips","tag-dtc","tag-hipaa","tag-clarius","tag-healthcare","tag-m3dimaker","tag-pharmacies","tag-medicine","tag-fabrx","tag-drug-development","tag-personalized-medicine","tag-royal-pharmaceutical-society","tag-viatom-checkme-pro","project_category-company","project_category-developers","project_category-patients","project_category-policy-makers",{"id":24,"alt_text":125,"caption":126,"description":127,"media_type":128,"media_details":129,"post":157,"source_url":158},"Future of Pharmacies","The pharmacy of the future","As patients are the most underused resources of healthcare, pharmacists are the most underused resources of medicine. That needs to change.","image",{"width":130,"height":131,"file":132,"sizes":133,"image_meta":155},1920,1080,"2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01.png",{"medium":134,"large":140,"thumbnail":145,"medium_large":149,"1536x1536":150},{"file":135,"width":136,"height":137,"mime-type":138,"source_url":139},"210_tmf-01-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01-370x208.png",{"file":141,"width":142,"height":143,"mime-type":138,"source_url":144},"210_tmf-01-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01-768x432.png",{"file":146,"width":147,"height":147,"mime-type":138,"source_url":148},"210_tmf-01-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01-150x150.png",{"file":141,"width":142,"height":143,"mime-type":138,"source_url":144},{"file":151,"width":152,"height":153,"mime-type":138,"source_url":154},"210_tmf-01-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01-1536x864.png",{"aperture":156,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":156,"copyright":27,"focal_length":156,"iso":156,"shutter_speed":156,"title":27,"orientation":156},"0",30459,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F210_tmf-01.png",{"cta_type":160,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":161,"related_posts_footer":164,"related_posts":20,"key_takeaways":168},"subscribe",[162,163],27927,30419,[165,166,167],16762,29929,29531,[169,171],{"title":170},"\u003Cp>We analyzed three potential scenarios when it comes to using advanced technologies in pharmacies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":172},"\u003Cp>Despite all the tech-talk, a constant element that will be an integral part of the pharmacy of the future is the human element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"yoast_wpseo_title":174,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":175,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"The Future Of Pharmacies In 3 Scenarios - The Medical Futurist","The rapid development of medical technology affects every aspect of healthcare – and pharmacies cannot escape its transformative power either.",{"self":177,"collection":183,"about":186,"author":189,"replies":192,"version-history":195,"predecessor-version":199,"wp:featuredmedia":203,"wp:attachment":206,"wp:term":209,"curies":225},[178],{"href":179,"targetHints":180},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F13786",{"allow":181},[182],"GET",[184],{"href":185},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[187],{"href":188},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[190],{"embeddable":26,"href":191},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[193],{"embeddable":26,"href":194},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=13786",[196],{"count":197,"href":198},21,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F13786\u002Frevisions",[200],{"id":201,"href":202},60303,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F13786\u002Frevisions\u002F60303",[204],{"embeddable":26,"href":205},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F30493",[207],{"href":208},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=13786",[210,213,216,219,222],{"taxonomy":211,"embeddable":26,"href":212},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=13786",{"taxonomy":214,"embeddable":26,"href":215},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=13786",{"taxonomy":217,"embeddable":26,"href":218},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=13786",{"taxonomy":220,"embeddable":26,"href":221},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=13786",{"taxonomy":223,"embeddable":26,"href":224},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=13786",[226],{"name":227,"href":228,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[230],{"id":167,"date":231,"date_gmt":232,"guid":233,"modified":235,"modified_gmt":236,"slug":237,"status":13,"type":14,"link":238,"title":239,"content":241,"excerpt":243,"author":245,"featured_media":246,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":247,"categories":248,"tags":250,"project_category":251,"contact_email_category":252,"yst_prominent_words":253,"class_list":268,"better_featured_image":271,"acf":297,"yoast_meta":303,"_links":306},"2022-08-23T10:00:00","2022-08-23T08:00:00",{"rendered":234},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=29531&_wpnonce=026465a01c&status=auto-draft&type=post","2022-08-05T10:54:30","2022-08-05T08:54:30","digital-health-makes-healthcare-globalised","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-makes-healthcare-globalised",{"rendered":240},"Digital Health Makes Healthcare Globalised",{"rendered":242,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>Consider Atlas Biomed, the company behind \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fatlas-biomed-microbiome-test-review\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">the at-home microbiome test\u003C\u002Fa>: it is based in the U.K. Some 1,900 kilometres away in Italy, Dante Labs offers direct-to-consumer whole genome sequencing kits. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the U. S., is Fitbit, which ships its fitness trackers around the world. Despite being headquartered in different countries and even on different continents, patients now have access to quality digital health services wherever they are (save for some shipping restrictions).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-768x432.png\" alt=\"empowered patient\" class=\"wp-image-23465\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F1113_epatient-512x288.png 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This aspect of digital health heralds one of its lesser-explored advantages: it enables healthcare to be truly globalised. However, more work has to be done as digital health moves towards this goal. From new regulations to updating physicians’ curricula, policymakers will have to rethink the traditional healthcare landscape. But it’s not only policymakers but also stakeholders on every level of this landscape who will be impacted by this globalisation. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Join us as we dive into how digital health is grooming healthcare to be globalised and the steps needed to swerve this evolution in the right direction. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Digital health upends the healthcare market\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The literature \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">defines digital health\u003C\u002Fa> as “the cultural transformation of how disruptive technologies that provide digital and objective data accessible to both caregivers and patients leads to an equal level doctor-patient relationship with shared decision-making and the democratisation of care”. The novel technologies that help in this cultural transformation help make patients the point of care with direct-to-consumer services.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This has never been more apparent than with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this crisis, only 1 in 10 U.S. patients used telemedicine services, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jdpower.com\u002Fbusiness\u002Fpress-releases\u002F2019-us-telehealth-satisfaction-study\" target=\"_blank\">a J.D. Power survey\u003C\u002Fa> found. During the first few months of the pandemic, the use of such services \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fqz.com\u002F1821549\u002Ftelemedicine-faces-unprecedented-demand-in-the-wake-of-coronavirus\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">has gone up by 158%\u003C\u002Fa>. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And remote healthcare stayed with us, according to the latest figures, some \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ama-assn.org\u002Fpractice-management\u002Fdigital\u002Finside-big-variations-telehealth-use-among-physicians\" target=\"_blank\">85% of the surveyed physicians provide at least some form of telehealth services\u003C\u002Fa>, while roughly \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmhealthintelligence.com\u002Fnews\u002Fover-half-of-americans-unlikely-to-use-telehealth-post-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\">half of the patients declared\u003C\u002Fa> that they are happy to keep on using these after the pandemic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Some of the novelties COVID has introduced quickly became the new normal. Having home diagnostic kits at home and testing ourselves in minutes? Brilliant! \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-rise-of-at-home-lab-tests\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The at-home lab test universe is rapidly expanding\u003C\u002Fa> ever since.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Even seniors \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mobihealthnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fsurvey-shows-seniors-are-embracing-technology-and-telehealth-during-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\">were embracing health tech\u003C\u002Fa> during the pandemic, and grew accustomed to novel ways of healthcare-related communication. Having a great deal of health, fitness, wellness, nutrition-related (etc) services, available from the comfort of one’s home is convenient, even if the company itself is located elsewhere. By extrapolating these trends, it’s not far-fetched to imagine the following healthcare journey of a patient in the near future. \u003Cstrong>Let’s visualise it\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F01\u002F060_FDA-768x432.png\" alt=\"digital health trends\" class=\"wp-image-22753\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F01\u002F060_FDA-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F01\u002F060_FDA-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F01\u002F060_FDA-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F01\u002F060_FDA.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Upon recommendation from their physician, a patient submits a cancerous tissue biopsy to a Belgian startup that can sequence its genome, as the technology is not available locally. The startup matches the genome to driver mutations in clinical trials whose database is in the cloud in the U.S. For an extra fee, the Belgian startup connects the patient to the clinical trial taking place in Spain; run by a French pharma company. The patient enrols in the trial and follows the treatment in Spain, subsidised by the pharma company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While the initial steps came with a cost, the end result is that the patient ultimately receives state-of-the-art, targeted treatment for free. Without such a globalised network and accessibility to these services, the patient might not have had a chance at treating her ailment. This is the democratisation and globalisation of healthcare that digital health brings along. Even if this theoretical scenario sounds optimistic, such an approach is already possible in practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Meet the patient of the future\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As The Medical Futurist, Dr Meskó tries to live like the patient of the future. The data he brings \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Flifestyle-medicine-could-be-the-key-for-digital-health-adoption\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">to his GP\u003C\u002Fa> every year come from globalised sources. His medication sensitivity results come from Australia-based myDNA. The ECG records from AliveCor’s Kardia and his fitness activity from Fitbit come from U.S. companies. The results from \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fatlas-biomed-microbiome-test-review\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">his microbiome test\u003C\u002Fa> come from the U.K.’s Atlas Biomed. The list goes on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Thanks to overseas companies that make their products and services available globally through online access and worldwide supply chains, Dr Meskó is able to bring his \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Flifestyle-medicine-could-be-the-key-for-digital-health-adoption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">personalised medical data\u003C\u002Fa> to his GP in Hungary. By analysing these data, she designed a prevention program with diet and activity recommendations, and regular tests tailored to Dr Meskó.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"354\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002Fpatient-of-the-future.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29539\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aha.org\u002F\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Such patients might not be the norm yet, but soon will be, and physicians should also be adequately prepared. In order to better deal with this influx of international data, physicians should receive training in doing so. Medical schools’ curricula require updates in this regard, with a focus on digital health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, regulations often lag behind the patient of the future. As these technologies empower patients with their health data, they need an equal-level partnership in their care. The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fliving-with-an-artificial-pancreas\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">#wearenotwaiting movement\u003C\u002Fa> from diabetics illustrates this. With the artificial pancreas not available on the market due to lagging regulations, the diabetics’ community designed their own DIY one that works. After two years since the DIY version became freely available, the FDA finally approved an artificial pancreas. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The diabetics’ community illustrate \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdiabetes-as-the-trojan-horse-of-digital-health\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">the trojan horse of digital health\u003C\u002Fa>, where empowered patients won’t wait for regulations to meet their needs. But this can be risky and new policies are necessary to better attend to patients’ needs in the digital health age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Globalised policies\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Without proper regulations from healthcare authorities, digital health tools can have harmful side effects unbeknownst to patients who adopt them. In 2020, fitness tracker company Garmin was \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.wired.com\u002Fstory\u002Fgarmin-ransomware-hack-warning\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">the subject of a cyberattack\u003C\u002Fa> which halted its services and put users’ data in jeopardy. The company reportedly paid $10 million to liberate its systems. There are \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hipaajournal.com\u002Fhealthcare-data-breach-statistics\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many similar cases every year\u003C\u002Fa>, with the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.scmagazine.com\u002Ffeature\u002Fbreach\u002F10-biggest-healthcare-data-breaches-of-2021-impact-over-22-6m-patients\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">largest attacks\u003C\u002Fa> affecting millions of patients’ data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the more widespread the adoption of these technologies, the number of these incidents – at least the number of attempts – will rise. As such, before digital health solutions are made available to consumers, the secure handling of data and quality of services offered should be ensured. The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fec.europa.eu\u002Fgrowth\u002Fsingle-market\u002Fce-marking_en\">CE marking\u003C\u002Fa> or even new rules have to be set up to ensure quality in both performance and data protection is offered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F04\u002FEmpowered-physician-and-patient-768x432.png\" alt=\"e-physician\" class=\"wp-image-23649\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F04\u002FEmpowered-physician-and-patient-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F04\u002FEmpowered-physician-and-patient-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F04\u002FEmpowered-physician-and-patient-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F04\u002FEmpowered-physician-and-patient.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhealthcare-and-medicine-needs-a-global-fda\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">a global FDA authority\u003C\u002Fa> should be set up to address these issues brought forth by the globalisation of healthcare. Such an authority will be able to offer support to players in individual countries to solve global healthcare issues whether they are about wearables, smartphone apps, genetic testing or clinical trials. But to actually come up with a working data protection framework that covers this constantly evolving, complex landscape – which includes more and more companies from other segments -, is an extremely complicated task. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Already, authorities took some steps in this direction. The World Health Organization (WHO) \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fdocs\u002Fdefault-source\u002Fdocuments\u002Fgs4dhdaa2a9f352b0445bafbc79ca799dce4d.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">published its Global Strategy on Digital Health\u003C\u002Fa>. It aims to support national or regional digital health initiatives so as to achieve affordable and universal access to health for all. The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthit.gov\u002Ftopic\u002Fglobal-digital-health-partnership\" target=\"_blank\">Global Digital Health Partnership\u003C\u002Fa>, an international collaboration of 30 countries, states that its vision is to “support governments and health system reformers to improve the health and well-being of their citizens through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies”. Such initiatives are a must going forward in healthcare. They will help implement adequate policies for globalised healthcare with the help of digital health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":244,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Patients now have access to quality digital health services wherever they are (save for some shipping restrictions). Truly globalised healthcare might be just around the corner\u003C\u002Fp>\n",16,29589,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[32,34,249],800,[48],[],[],[254,79,255,256,257,258,259,72,260,73,261,262,263,264,265,266,267,78],4769,5519,1619,5521,1621,5531,5533,5535,1683,5613,1693,1803,1987,4047,[269,14,82,83,84,85,86,88,90,270,103],"post-29531","category-healthcare-policy",{"id":246,"alt_text":272,"caption":273,"description":27,"media_type":128,"media_details":274,"post":167,"source_url":296},"Cross-border healthcare: medicine delivery to patient care","Digital Health Makes Healthcare Globalised – Dr Meskó as a practicing patient from the future had his DNA tested by a company in Australia, ECG records from the U.S., fitness data from France, microbiome test result from the UK – all of which he shows to his GP in Hungary. A globalised healthcare meant that the patient ultimately receives state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment, wherever s\u002Fhe is.",{"width":130,"height":131,"file":275,"sizes":276,"image_meta":295},"2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01.png",{"medium":277,"large":280,"thumbnail":283,"medium_large":286,"1536x1536":287,"2048x2048":290},{"file":278,"width":136,"height":137,"mime-type":138,"source_url":279},"195_tmf-01-370x208.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01-370x208.png",{"file":281,"width":142,"height":143,"mime-type":138,"source_url":282},"195_tmf-01-768x432.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01-768x432.png",{"file":284,"width":147,"height":147,"mime-type":138,"source_url":285},"195_tmf-01-150x150.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01-150x150.png",{"file":281,"width":142,"height":143,"mime-type":138,"source_url":282},{"file":288,"width":152,"height":153,"mime-type":138,"source_url":289},"195_tmf-01-1536x864.png","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01-1536x864.png",{"file":291,"width":292,"height":293,"mime-type":138,"source_url":294},"195_tmf-01-2048x1152.png","2048","1152","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01-2048x1152.png",{"aperture":156,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":156,"copyright":27,"focal_length":156,"iso":156,"shutter_speed":156,"title":27,"orientation":156},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F08\u002F195_tmf-01.png",{"cta_type":160,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":298,"related_posts_footer":300,"related_posts":20},[162,299],25985,[301,302],13151,13929,{"yoast_wpseo_title":304,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":305,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":238},"Digital Health Makes Healthcare Globalised - The Medical Futurist","Patients can access quality digital health services wherever they are (save for some shipping restrictions). How far is truly globalised healthcare?",{"self":307,"collection":312,"about":314,"author":316,"replies":319,"version-history":322,"predecessor-version":326,"wp:featuredmedia":330,"wp:attachment":333,"wp:term":336,"curies":347},[308],{"href":309,"targetHints":310},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F29531",{"allow":311},[182],[313],{"href":185},[315],{"href":188},[317],{"embeddable":26,"href":318},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F16",[320],{"embeddable":26,"href":321},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=29531",[323],{"count":324,"href":325},11,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F29531\u002Frevisions",[327],{"id":328,"href":329},47036,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F29531\u002Frevisions\u002F47036",[331],{"embeddable":26,"href":332},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F29589",[334],{"href":335},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=29531",[337,339,341,343,345],{"taxonomy":211,"embeddable":26,"href":338},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=29531",{"taxonomy":214,"embeddable":26,"href":340},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=29531",{"taxonomy":217,"embeddable":26,"href":342},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=29531",{"taxonomy":220,"embeddable":26,"href":344},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=29531",{"taxonomy":223,"embeddable":26,"href":346},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=29531",[348],{"name":227,"href":228,"templated":26},[350],{"id":163,"date":351,"date_gmt":352,"guid":353,"modified":355,"modified_gmt":356,"slug":357,"status":13,"type":358,"link":359,"title":360,"content":362,"excerpt":364,"author":23,"featured_media":366,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"template":27,"yst_prominent_words":367,"class_list":369,"better_featured_image":372,"acf":392,"yoast_meta":414,"_links":417},"2020-10-01T10:54:54","2020-10-01T08:54:54",{"rendered":354},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_type=book&p=30419","2023-03-12T18:16:29","2023-03-12T17:16:29","privacy-in-digital-health","book","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fbooks\u002Fprivacy-in-digital-health\u002F",{"rendered":361},"Hackers, Breaches and the Value of Health Data",{"rendered":363,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cp>Today, everyone needs to understand that there is no digital health without sacrificing a part of our privacy. The advanced technologies fueling the transformation cannot improve without our data; and without it, they can’t be implemented as part of regular medical care. And COVID-19 has only made things worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In this e-Book, we defined the three cornerstones of privacy of every privacy discussion going forward: the traditional, the new and the future spheres that deal with your health data, and put forward recommendations on how you can start protecting yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":365,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Today, everyone needs to understand that there is no digital health without sacrificing a part of our privacy. The advanced technologies fueling the transformation cannot […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",49967,[264,78,368],3633,[370,358,371,83,85,86],"post-30419","type-book",{"id":366,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":128,"media_details":373,"post":163,"source_url":391},{"width":374,"height":375,"file":376,"filesize":377,"sizes":378,"image_meta":389},320,414,"2020\u002F10\u002Fhack-breaches-health-data.png",89249,{"medium":379,"thumbnail":384},{"file":380,"width":374,"height":381,"mime-type":138,"filesize":382,"source_url":383},"hack-breaches-health-data-320x208.png",208,53801,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002Fhack-breaches-health-data-320x208.png",{"file":385,"width":386,"height":386,"mime-type":138,"filesize":387,"source_url":388},"hack-breaches-health-data-150x150.png",150,20987,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002Fhack-breaches-health-data-150x150.png",{"aperture":156,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":156,"copyright":27,"focal_length":156,"iso":156,"shutter_speed":156,"title":27,"orientation":156,"keywords":390},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002Fhack-breaches-health-data.png",{"buy_button_text":393,"leanpub_url":394,"preview":395},"Get it on Leanpub","https:\u002F\u002Fleanpub.com\u002Fprivacy-in-digital-health\u002F",[396,398,400,402,404,406,408,410,412],{"image":397},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-01.png",{"image":399},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-03.png",{"image":401},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-04.png",{"image":403},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-05.png",{"image":405},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-06.png",{"image":407},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-07.png",{"image":409},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-08.png",{"image":411},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-09.png",{"image":413},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F0930_PRIVACY_TMF_EBOOK-10.png",{"yoast_wpseo_title":415,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":416,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":359},"Hackers, Breaches and the Value of Health Data: What You Need To Know - The Medical Futurist","Privacy in Digital Health: Privacy and security issues pertaining to the digital health era are complex and multifactorial. Learn more from our book",{"self":418,"collection":423,"about":426,"author":429,"replies":431,"wp:featuredmedia":434,"wp:attachment":437,"wp:term":440,"curies":443},[419],{"href":420,"targetHints":421},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fbook\u002F30419",{"allow":422},[182],[424],{"href":425},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fbook",[427],{"href":428},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fbook",[430],{"embeddable":26,"href":191},[432],{"embeddable":26,"href":433},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=30419",[435],{"embeddable":26,"href":436},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F49967",[438],{"href":439},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=30419",[441],{"taxonomy":223,"embeddable":26,"href":442},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=30419",[444],{"name":227,"href":228,"templated":26},1785847770553]