This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
Published on December 7, 2019, a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) highlighted a looming shortage of primary care doctors, with over 100,000 doctors expected to be needed by 2030 ( Reference ).
As the baby boomer generation retires, the world is facing a drastic population shift, with significant repercussions in finance, business, and healthcare. The increasing number of elderly individuals will lead to a higher demand for healthcare services, while the shortage of primary care doctors will result in longer wait times for seniors and their caregivers.
Preventative medicine and self-care are becoming increasingly important as millions of people die from preventable causes each year. In the US, for example, half of all deaths in 2000 were due to preventable causes ( Reference ). Health startups are emerging to help patients manage their health through symptom tracking, medication reminders, and journaling.
Other startups are focusing on personalized medicine, providing vitamins and supplements tailored to an individual's health goals, genomics, and blood work. These companies are also developing apps to track, manage, and optimize one's health.
However, the adoption of health technologies is hindered by red tape and slow adoption. Physicians are overwhelmed with recommending, learning, and promoting apps, while payors remain hesitant due to the numerous solutions available without a long track record.
Despite these challenges, evidence shows that health apps can improve adherence to treatment by 10-30% and eliminate recall bias and cognitive load. Health apps like CareClinic take it a step further, allowing users to determine correlations automatically at home.
