Understanding the Next Chapter of Healthcare

Challenge

A system under pressure. A future full of questions. Germany’s care system is facing a perfect storm:

• A rapidly aging population
• A severe shortage of skilled healthcare workers
• Mounting economic and ecological pressures

At the same time, technologies like AI and robotics promise radical transformation, but regulation, training systems, and societal expectations are lagging behind. With input and support from the DHZB Academy, an academy for cadiovascular medicine and healthcare professions, Bluemorrow set out to explore: What will the future of care look like and how can we prepare for it today?

Approach

Strategic foresight meets lived experience. We combined robust trend research with immersive scenario building:

Trend Identification
Our team conducted 360° horizon scanning by combining desk research, global foresight reports and experrs interviews with the DHZB Academy to identify the top 25 key trends impacting the future of care. The trends span across social, technological, economic, environmental, and political dimensions.

Participatory Scenario Development
Together with over 20 healthcare students from the German Heart Center of the Charité (DHZC), we explored how these trends might unfold in radically different futures through scenario workshops. 

Navigating the Future of Care
We developed four distinct care scenarios, ranging from technological utopia to systemic collapse. Each scenario includes narrative insights and an exemplary "day in a life" of a care professional. Building on the scenarios, we then defined strategic implications and action fields for healthcare, medtech, and policy makers.

Outcome

A strategic tool for future-proofing healthcare.

The final report, The Future of Care 2040, helps leaders in healthcare, medtech, and politics to:

• Understand long-term shifts in patient expectations, workforce needs, and infrastructure
• Identify concrete opportunities and risks for innovation, digitization, and system reform
• Align stakeholders through shared language and vivid future narratives

The scenarios can now be leveraged to guide internal strategy discussions, inform investment planning, and shape innovation agendas.

"This isn’t just a report. It’s a compass for decision-makers navigating a deeply uncertain future for a sector that matters to all of us: Healthcare" - Philipp Maron, Bluemorrow