From remote keyhole surgery to pioneering patient care, we’re stepping into a bright era of telehealth, ushered in by mould-breaking advancements in AI and machine learning.
The COVID pandemic necessitated an upgrade to the way the world approached telehealth, and we’re witnessing the impact today – accessible, quality, tech-enabled care.
AI has made astonishing progress in 2024 alone, and we suspect it’s just the beginning. As AI-powered tools and techniques hit the mainstream market, demand for talented tech professionals is rising. Healthcare is no different, particularly in the Swiss market.
Described by some as having one of the best digitalised healthcare systems, Switzerland has emerged as an exciting locale for ambitious tech professionals (we’ve got some fantastic opportunities in Switzerland worth checking out here) looking to explore a meaningful new avenue of work. Roche is a prime example, the Swiss-based pharma giants using digital tech to develop leading-edge personalised medicines.
Our Swiss recruitment team have kept a close eye on the Swiss AI, ML, digital health and healthcare markets, and we’re seeing some incredible opportunities.
What’s Driving the Demand for Talent?
Aside from the widespread tech adoption (and the nationwide uptake in cloud usage), a host of external pressures are driving demand for greater digitalisation and improved AI integrations, including:
- The Burgeoning Healthcare Startup System – Switzerland is currently home to a network of 241 digital healthcare startups. In the last five years, they have raised $1.8 billion in VC funding (HealthtechAlpha). Switzerland ranked 5th in IMD’s World Digital Competitiveness Ranking.
- Consumer demand is driving growth – The modern consumer is used to a seamless tech-enabled life, so why should their healthcare be any different?
- A Drive to Innovate – Switzerland has placed top of the world innovation rankings for the 13th consecutive year. The favourable startup conditions (including a renowned reputation as a corporate tax haven) make for a truly innovative tech hub. More startups, more demand for top talent.
- The home of Best-in-Class Research Institutes – The Idiap research institute is revered for its research in applied and theoretical AI. Western Switzerland is also home to CAIM (the Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine) and iCoSys (the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Complex Systems).
- The AI market is growing – Switzerland’s AI market is projected to show an annual growth rate of 25.34% between 2023 and 2025. (Statista)
AI Enhancement
How exactly is AI being used to enhance the healthcare experience? Along with a range of operational efficiencies, we’re seeing AI solutions drive efficiency and improve the patient experience across:
- Disease Management – from 24/7 virtual assistants to personalised dietary and exercise recommendations. AI is being used to enhance the seamlessness of disease management. It’s made extraordinary headway in areas like diabetes management, integrating into wearable tech that allows for real-time patient monitoring.
- Precision Medicine – Precision medicine is a new frontier for a healthier humanity. AI is being used to analyse vast data sets (healthcare is one of the biggest producers of data by industry) and identify associations between genetic variants and specific diseases. For example, generative AI can quickly sort through millions of individual cells and discover which of them are best suited to tackle cancer, an AI-enhanced form of immunotherapy.
- Self-Triage – The simplification of the patient medicine journey is a primary focus point in AI-enabled self-triage. Ada’s AI symptom assessment tool is a great example. Since 2011, Ada’s AI has completed over 30 million assessments.
- Remote Patient Monitoring – remote patient monitoring was forced to level up at the start of the pandemic, and it’s been on an upward trajectory ever since. AI-powered remote monitoring systems are more efficient and comprehensive than ever before, enabling healthcare staff to accurately monitor their patients’ health and, if necessary, intervene.
- Personal Health Records – AI is being used to monitor health records for many benefits, including the detection of patterns that signify developing conditions. Consequently, this data can be used to personalise triage or connect patients with the appropriate healthcare professionals for further treatment.
Thanks in part to AI, the delivery of accurate, high-quality remote healthcare has never been so effective. Moving forward, demand for AI engineers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, data analysts, computer vision engineers, and natural language processing experts will likely skyrocket – advancements in AI-enabled healthcare will depend on identifying, attracting, and retaining this talent in a highly competitive market.
Hiring Solutions
Interested in embarking on an emotionally fulfilling, impactful new career at the unique intersection of AI and healthcare? Speak to our specialist consultants today and we can connect you with an opportunity that suits your unique needs: https://www.deeprec.ai/contact-us
