Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, you have most likely heard the term COVID-19. This new strain of flu has swept across the globe, forcing entire countries to quite literally close their doors to the outside world. Populations of hundreds of millions have been ordered to stay in their homes and wait out the storm. Everyday citizens all around the world watch as economies crash, people pass away, and leaders scramble to figure out response plans that help those in need. There is no doubt that the lives lived before this virus cannot be returned to, whether that change is large or small all depends on circumstance. Industries themselves are changing as well, with no industry changing more than that of healthcare. This should come as no shock, since healthcare providers all around the world have shouldered the weight of this pandemic, it is no surprise that they will change the most in the coming months and years.
HealthCare’s Response
Responses to these types of pandemics will no doubt change dramatically. Whether you agree with your country’s response or not, there is much to be learned from all of this. Vast amounts of data will be put under the microscope once COVID-19 has run its course, and much of this data will go on to influence entire nation’s response protocols for the next potential pandemic.1 How supply chains are set up, or patient interactions occur, will all see change in the next few years. All of this will be done to minimize the risk of spreading a potential future virus, and if one were to spread, maximize the ability to combat it as quickly as possible.
Healthcare Professionals
Prior to COVID-19, professional burnout in the healthcare industry was at an all time high. Now, due to the massive stress induced by the pandemic, this statistic will only grow dramatically. With 1.2 million healthcare workers in the United States alone, considered a shortage of weeks by many experts, the fallout from the pandemic is expected to reduce that number dramatically over the course of the next one to three years.4 The perceived risk of being a healthcare worker does not help this situation either, with nurses and doctors dying from the very illness they are trying to combat. Prospective healthcare workers might now reconsider their choice and choose to pursue a career that they deem safer. This unhealthy cycle may very well continue to repeat for years to come, leading to more unneeded stress on the already encumbered global healthcare system.
What’s in Store
The future of healthcare may seem uncertain right now, with quarantines being extended across the globe and people continuing to get sick. Imagining what the healthcare industry will look like one, two, or five years from now could lead anyone to a headache. However, there is no doubt that the healthcare industry will use this pandemic as a means to improve itself inside and out and lead the world into a healthier tomorrow.
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