2026 Healthcare Industry Predictions: What Every Nurse Must Know
- The healthcare industry's cautious optimism, combined with aggressive digital transformation initiatives, suggests 2026 will be a pivotal year for nursing practice evolution.
- 78% of executives expect AI to drive major operational changes, potentially streaming nursing workflows and reducing administrative burden.
- A significant 33% increase in connected care focus (up 15 points from 2025) signals enhanced roles in virtual care delivery and remote patient management.
The healthcare world as we know it is gearing up for a major makeover by 2026, according to Deloitte's Life Sciences Outlook Survey. This annual survey gathered the thoughts and predictions of 280 top executives from biopharma and medtech companies worldwide.
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For nursing professionals preparing for 2026, these industry trends suggest focusing professional development on digital literacy, value-based care competencies, and cross-setting care coordination skills. Organizations that successfully navigate this landscape will likely be those that meaningfully engage nursing expertise in technology implementation, recognize nurses' central role in patient outcomes measurement, and support nursing leadership in care model innovation.
As Simone Thomsen, president of Eli Lilly Japan, summarized: "Agility and resilience matter, but our true purpose lies in uniting discovery with patient care."
Tech is Taking Over (But Not Overnight)
Raise your hand if you’ve heard the words "AI" or "digital transformation" more times than you’ve heard your own name lately. Well, it’s not going away.
Nearly half of healthcare execs (48%) say digital transformation will be a big deal in 2026. That means more AI tools like predictive diagnostics, virtual care, and even robots helping nurses out.
But before nurses panic about being replaced by a robot that never needs coffee, the reality is that only 22% of organizations have figured out how to really use AI effectively.
What does that mean for nurses and healthcare clinicians? We'll likely see a gradual tech integration, giving all facilities time to influence how these tools fit into clinical settings. As Gabriele Ricci from Takeda Pharmaceuticals puts it, healthcare is entering an era where discipline and innovation must work hand in hand—meaning there's room for nurses to help steer the ship.
Value-Based Care Is Still the Name of the Game
With pricing pressures and access challenges taking center stage, nurses will be more crucial than ever in value-based care models. The ability to demonstrate measurable patient outcomes will be key to reimbursement, which means nurses in all specialities need to focus on solid documentation, quality improvement initiatives, and evidence-based practices.
Connected care models are also gaining traction, with 33% of executives prioritizing them—up 15 percentage points from last year. That means our roles might expand into virtual care coordination, remote monitoring, and digital health education.
A medtech exec hits the nail on the head: "Our customers don't have enough people capacity. We need to automate things for them and make it cost-effective." So, expect to work more closely with automated systems, leaving our brains free for complex clinical judgment and nurturing patient relationships.
Oh, and don't forget about cybersecurity! It's climbed up the priority list for 35% of executives, so brace yourselves for more data protection protocols and training on information security.
Growth Paths: New Therapies, Mergers, and AI
Looking ahead, healthcare organizations are charting three main courses that will affect nurses. First, there's a big push to expand pipelines, with new therapies and platforms on the horizon. This means everyone will need to keep learning, especially about emerging treatments like cell and gene therapies—cited by 62% of biopharma execs as key revenue drivers.
Next, expect a surge in mergers and acquisitions, with 45% of biopharma and 51% of medtech execs seeing this as a top priority. For nurses, this could mean navigating changes in employment environments and adapting to new organizational cultures.
Finally, AI is moving beyond just a productivity tool to become a growth catalyst. Nearly 80% of executives believe future competitiveness hinges on leveraging AI to reimagine healthcare operations. Nurse leaders will need to hone digital skills and ensure AI implementations enhance, not overshadow, the human touch in patient care.
🤔Nurses, share your thoughts on what's next for healthcare in 2026 below.
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