The Digital Moment Has Arrived for Healthcare, But Barriers Remain

According to A Powerful Pairing, a research report carried out by Novartis, the digital moment has arrived for healthcare and pharmaceuticals. The industry is at an inflection point and the global COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a seismic shift in adoption and scaling of digital technologies. Almost overnight, organisations have had to dial up their efforts to develop, manufacture, and ultimately bring medicines to patients in a socially-distant world. 

The report suggests that technology talent is increasingly drawn to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. In fact, 83% of technology professionals would consider working in healthcare and pharma, with respondents quick to point out that a career in healthcare is significantly more attractive than a career in financial services, telecoms and manufacturing. 

Drivers to pursue a career in healthcare and pharma include the opportunity to innovate through tech (52%), improve quality of care and make systems more efficient (49% for each), and to solve real-world problems (48%).

Translating interest into action

Attracting and nurturing highly sought-after tech talent is critical to grasping the clear opportunity that comes with combining the power of data, science and technology. Unfortunately, a barrier to entry remains. 

Tech professionals are becoming more and more eager to work in the health and pharma industry. Many fear, however, that they have too great a knowledge gap to put interest into practice. 40% of respondents said that they wouldn’t apply for a job in healthcare due to their lack of industry knowledge. 

A role for healthcare and pharma organisations is now to prove to these tech professionals that their perceived ‘lack of knowledge’ is no barrier at all to solving high-impact real-world problems for patients. We need the very best technology expertise working side by side with teams across the value chain, so it’s time to roll out the welcome mat.

Realising the potential of this digital moment requires an industry-wide effort and true collaboration. There is an appetite and ambition to apply skills and expertise to solving the world’s most challenging health issues, so let’s ensure there are no barriers to entry for those who want to come with us on that journey. 

Download A Powerful Pairing here.