The Digital Era 3

3Digital Health: Foresight for French-speaking Switzerland

Everywhere, technologies are changing the way things are done¹. Activities related to health and care are no exception to this trend. Their scope of action is expanding; new players are appearing while others are being disrupted by technical change. The supply and demand for care are also changing under the pressure of technologies that are upsetting the established order. Initially known for being hierarchical, knowledgeable, organized and respected, the professional community that has long driven health care no longer has a clear view of its future. It sometimes doubts that its practice still meets the Hippocratic oath that defines its duties: duty to its masters, to the patient and to the society in which it operates.

The public’s behavior is also changing, because the Web provides a wealth of free information on illnesses, well-being and health care to everyone: platforms compare services, list hospitals, doctors – both general practitioners and specialists – and pharmacists. This multiplies the number of people listening to services that are dedicated to public information, prevention (tobacco, alcohol, drugs) and that share many other data on diseases, therapeutics or techniques, whether these are restorative, diagnostic or comforting. The digital boom therefore concerns both patients (which, potentially, all of us are) and health professionals. The patient’s record, in electronic form, has become accessible or ...