Stanford Medicine’s 2020 Health Trends Report Highlights the Rise of the Data-Driven Physician | Information Center

In a healthcare industry now awash with data and digital technologies, physicians are actively preparing for the transformation of patient care, according to the 2020 Health Trends report released today by Stanford Medicine.

Stanford Medicine’s 2020 Health Trends Report once again documents key trends driving the future of the industry, including a maturing digital health market, new health laws opening up the patient access to data and artificial intelligence that is gaining ground in regulation for medical use.

To understand how these trends will reach the doctor’s office and ultimately shape patient care, Stanford Medicine commissioned a national survey of more than 700 physicians, residents and medical students. As a proxy for the broader healthcare delivery system, these individuals were interviewed for their thoughts on the future of medical practice and how they are preparing for it.

“We have found that current and future physicians are not only open to new technologies, but are actively seeking training in areas such as data science to improve care for their patients,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, Dean from Stanford University School of Medicine. “We are encouraged by these findings and the opportunity they present to improve patient outcomes. At the same time, we need to be lucid about the challenges that could impede progress. »

The survey results have major implications for patients, their future healthcare experiences and the services they will access over the next decade.

Main conclusions

1. Healthcare providers are adapting to new developments

· Physicians, residents and students expect nearly a third of their tasks to be automated through technology within the next 20 years.

· Nearly half of all physicians (47%) and three-quarters of medical students (73%) are currently seeking additional training to better prepare for healthcare innovations. These activities revolve around data-driven topics such as advanced statistics, genetic counseling, population health, and coding.

· Of the doctors who want to improve their skills, 34% take courses in artificial intelligence.

2. Healthcare providers are digital health users and see the clinical value of patient-generated health data sources

· Nearly half of all physicians, students and residents use a wearable health monitoring device. Of those who wear them, a majority say they use data to inform personal healthcare decisions (71% of physicians, 60% of students and residents).

· A majority of students and residents (78%) and physicians (80%) say that self-reported data from a patient’s health app would be clinically useful to support their care.

The group also sees clinical value in data received from sources such as the patient’s handheld device (79% students and residents; 83% physicians) and data from consumer genetic testing reports (63 % students and residents, 65% physicians).

3. A transformation gap: Survey responses from current and future physicians reveal significant gaps in readiness to implement emerging technologies

· There are large gaps in preparedness for some of the most critical new developments in healthcare, such as telemedicine, personalized medicine and genetic testing.

When asked to rate the effectiveness of their training in preparing them for these developments, only 18% of medical students and current residents surveyed said their training was “very useful”, while 44% of physicians surveyed said their training was either “not very helpful” or “not helpful at all.”

· This gap can be closed by modernizing the appropriate curriculum and training programs so that current and future physicians can effectively use and get the most out of new technologies.

4. Under pressure

· Physicians and trainees struggle with the burden of medical practice.

· Among physicians and residents surveyed, nearly one in five would change careers if given the chance, citing poor work-life balance and red tape as the top reasons for reconsidering a medical career.

The rise of the data-driven physician represents an opportunity to positively transform medicine and improve health outcomes by bringing new technologies and knowledge to the bedside. However, as things stand, medical professionals still feel insufficiently trained to do so. Additionally, promising medical talent is held back by challenges such as work-life balance and student debt.

As a new decade begins, Stanford Medicine’s 2020 Health Trends Report offers insights for health educators, employers, government officials and the private sector to take action and help healthcare workers of tomorrow to reach their full potential.

Methodology: In addition to conducting a secondary review of news articles, white papers, and peer-reviewed research for the 2020 Health Trends Report, Stanford Medicine worked with Brunswick Insight to conduct a comprehensive survey of 523 current physicians and 210 medical students and residents. Respondents were contacted between September and October 2019. Respondents were contacted through a list of physicians verified by the American Medical Association and sample panels of healthcare professionals. Respondents were compensated for their participation in the survey and were told that their responses would be used to inform research for the public. Respondents were given the opportunity to opt out of all survey questions.