Prevention, Prediction, Personalization, and Participation as Key Components in Future Health

Abstract

Demographic changes toward the aging population are accompanied by the increasing rate of non-communicable (NCDs) chronic diseases, in which the high demand for continuous patient monitoring, treatment access, prolonged hospitalizations, as well as financial issues represent a global concern affecting the entire healthcare system and management. However, although the onset of symptoms in NDCs might be delayed or reduced, the adoption of preventive measures would be recommended to improve patient health and quality care services. Thus, moving from a reactive (focused on treatment) to a proactive system focused on prevention, the future of healthcare is embraced in the so-called “P4” of medicine: preventive, predictive, proactive, and participatory. Based on this approach, the possibility to predict a disease based on specific biomarkers, personalized treatments, and empowered patients toward their health monitoring while preventing diseases, would become a milestone in the perspective of healthcare innovation.