March 201719 CXO INSIGHTSWhen it comes to health, it has been said that every human being is the author of his or her own well-being. While some of what makes us healthy is genetic, we should also account for the effects of the environment on our health.Since the definition of a normal, healthy human being is as diverse as the population of our planet, understanding what happens between our visits to the doctor will define health in the future. Even in genetics, there is no definition yet of a "healthy genome" ­ we are all "wild-types." How do we build this longitudinal and unique picture of our health? How do we connect our picture with those of others and to our care providers? This topic is defined succinctly as the Internet of Healthy Things (IoHT) by Dr. Joseph C. Kvedar in his recent book. Changing demographics combined with technological advances and rise of IoHT, such as mobile medical applications or wearable devices, are driving the "quantified self" movement ­ arming us, as consumers, with personalized data to make more informed decisions about our lifestyles. As patients, we are consumers first, demanding a continuum of health services on a pro-active basis, with real-time analysis anticipating problems before they arise. Asia is Investing Heavily in HealthcareRecognizing the benefits of integrating IT with healthcare systems, governments across Asia have invested extensively in healthcare infrastructure that provides affordable and universal access to healthcare to their citizens, as well as helps to combat rising costs and demand for efficient healthcare services. However, there is great disparity across Asia in healthcare IT infrastructure adoption and maturity. Countries such as Singapore and Malaysia have made tremendous effort to achieving healthcare IT integration within hospitals, while healthcare systems in countries such as Indonesia and Thailand have yet to build health information exchange platforms. In Singapore, the government has projected healthcare spending to triple to US$8.4 billion by 2020. In Thailand, healthcare spending is set to rise to 8 percent to reach US$18.7 billion by 2018 to meet increase demand following the 2001 introduction of a universal healthcare system. Despite increased investment, Asian countries are struggling to reap the benefits of an integrated healthcare system to improve patient outcomes. Healthcare businesses need the agility and security to enable the sharing of patient data across the healthcare continuum, Connecting Patient Care with the Internet of Healthy Things By Sanjay Joshi, CTO, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Emerging Technologies Division, Dell EMC
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