--- title: "Beyond Prediction: Bertalan Meskó on Shaping the Future of Medicine" description: Exploring how AI is reshaping health care, from clinical practice to the future of digital health, with guest editor Bertalan Meskó. image: https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Mike%20blog%20June%202026%20(4).png --- [![JMIR Publications logo](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png?width=550&height=109&name=JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png "JMIR Publications logo")](http://www.jmirpublications.com) Open main menu Close main menu [Research News](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/research-news) [Artificial Intelligence](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/artificial-intelligence) # Beyond Prediction: Bertalan Meskó on Shaping the Future of Medicine ![Isabella Hernandez](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Isabella.png?width=45&name=Isabella.png) [Isabella Hernandez](https://blog.jmir.org/author/isabella-hernandez) Published Date: 15 October 2026 10:43 a.m. [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-prediction-bertalan-meskó-on-shaping-the-future-of-medicine) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-prediction-bertalan-meskó-on-shaping-the-future-of-medicine) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-prediction-bertalan-meskó-on-shaping-the-future-of-medicine) ![Blog header featuring photo of Bertalan Mesko](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Mike%20blog%20June%202026%20(4).png) How can healthcare move beyond reacting to change and start preparing for what’s next? In this interview, [Dr. Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertalanmesko/), guest editor of the *[Journal of Medical Internet Research](https://www.jmir.org/)* theme issue “[The Emergence of Medical Futures Studies](https://www.jmir.org/themes/1638/2026-theme-issue-2024-the-emergence-of-medical-futures-studies),” shares how futures methods can help shape a more intentional future for medicine. --- | **Key Takeaways** | | --- | | Medical futures studies goes beyond prediction by using structured methods like horizon scanning, scenario analysis, and backcasting to explore possible futures in healthcare. | | Foresight enables proactive planning by helping clinicians, hospital leaders, and policymakers anticipate emerging technologies, navigate uncertainty, and prepare for change. | | Shaping the future starts with asking better questions: rather than focusing only on what will happen, healthcare leaders should consider what kind of future they want to build. | ---   Listen to this blog post 5:21   ---   How can health care prepare for a future shaped by AI, digital health, and rapid technological change? For Dr. Bertalan Meskó, PhD, known as *The Medical Futurist*, the answer starts with asking better questions. As guest editor of the [*Journal of Medical Internet Research*](https://www.jmir.org/) theme issue, “[The Emergence of Medical Futures Studies,"](https://www.jmir.org/themes/1638/2026-theme-issue-2024-the-emergence-of-medical-futures-studies)Meskó helped highlight how established futures methodologies can help researchers, clinicians, and policymakers anticipate change and make more informed decisions about the future of medicine. Meskó is the Director of [The Medical Futurist Institute](https://medicalfuturist.com/healthcare-keynote-speaker?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22614664223&gbraid=0AAAAAD3p7cdoqVcnCNZdk3B_PqhSS-_xE&gclid=CjwKCAjw0LzWBhBOEiwAKQd0cCTjIOjmWGPWDG1HO6LP_SVNcp4OokDePHR11zQuUiRCfECXpJpzuxoCGo8QAvD_BwE), a physician with a PhD in genomics, and a leading voice on the impact of emerging technologies on health care. In the following interview, Meskó discusses the importance of medical futures studies, and key insights from the theme issue. --- ## **Understanding Medical Futures Studies** **(Q) How would you define medical futures studies for readers who may be new to the concept?** (A) Medical futures studies refers to the use of established futures methods to analyze and explore the future of medicine and health care. Techniques such as scenario analysis, the futures wheel, vision writing, and horizon scanning help researchers examine current trends, anticipate technological and cultural changes, and identify potential benefits and challenges for decision-makers. **(Q) What gap in the existing medical and health care literature were you hoping this theme issue would address?** (A) Futures methods have been used across a range of industries since the 1960s, but many areas of medicine and health care could benefit from their wider application. Although some research groups and policymakers have used these methods, their adoption remains limited. The ongoing transformation of health care, driven by digital technologies and increasingly empowered patients, makes it important for physicians, hospital leaders, and health care policymakers to incorporate futures methods more regularly into their work. ## **From Theory to Practice** **(Q) What themes or research questions stood out across the submissions?** (A) It was particularly interesting to see the diversity of methods researchers used to explore future challenges in health care. Examples included horizon scanning, scenario analysis, and the futures wheel to investigate which technologies might become part of the medical toolkit of the future, how artificial intelligence could support virtual consultations, and how automation could contribute to oncology care. **(Q) Was anything in the submissions surprising or different from what you expected?** (A) Futures studies has historically been viewed as somewhat philosophical and less practical, especially by medical audiences. The submissions demonstrated the opposite. We saw practical methods and pragmatic conclusions that health care leaders can begin applying to decision-making today. This was encouraging because it showed that although futures methods explore potential scenarios, their findings can have real-world applications in the present. **(Q) Did you see collaboration across medicine, technology, policy, futures studies, and patient perspectives?** (A) Absolutely. One study explored how technology integration could support nurses in an “Inpatient Room of the Future.” Another used participatory scenario analysis to help futureproof medical education, particularly for educators and curriculum designers. A third applied backcasting to develop a strategic roadmap for clinician adoption of AI. These examples demonstrate how futures methods can support different stakeholders across health care and encourage collaboration when planning for change. ## **Looking Ahead** **(Q) What is the next step for medical futures studies?** (A) We hope this theme issue is only the beginning and will encourage the global scientific community to use futures methods more widely. By showcasing diverse and scientifically exciting examples, we hope research groups will be inspired to find their own methods for exploring potential futures. If the adoption of futures methods continues to grow, there may eventually be no need to call it *medical futures studies*. Using these techniques to analyze the future could simply become a common competency among scientists and health care professionals. ## **One for the Sci-fi Fans** **(Q) Is there a science fiction idea about medicine that you hope becomes reality?** (A) As a science fiction fan, it is really hard to choose. But if I could pick something scientifically far-fetched, I would choose the cancer-removing pods for patients in *Elysium*. --- As Meskó's work highlights, futures methodologies offer a way to move beyond simply predicting what comes next and begin exploring how we can build better outcomes. The question is no longer just what the future of medicine might look like, but what kind of future we want to create. Check out the full list of studies in "[The Emergence of Futures Studies](https://www.jmir.org/themes/1638/2026-theme-issue-2024-the-emergence-of-medical-futures-studies)."   ![Isabella Hernandez](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Isabella.png?width=150&name=Isabella.png) #### Isabella Hernandez [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-hernandez-b93b18224/) Isabella Hernandez is the Social Media and Content Development Specialist at JMIR Publications, where she leads digital content initiatives that connect health research with wider audiences. With a background in biomedical science and a keen eye for digital trends, she combines creative thinking with a research-driven approach to social media, brand engagement, and multimedia content. She is passionate about finding fresh ways to make scientific research stand out in a crowded digital landscape and expanding the reach and impact of open access publishing. ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![Patient-Powered Progress: Revolutionary Digital Strategies for Optimal Patient Engagement and Healthcare Delivery,](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/DCI%20JoPM%20v2.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/unlocking-patient-powered-progress-featuring-leaders-from-the-journal-of-participatory-medicine) [Events](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/events) ### [Unlocking Patient-Powered Progress: Featuring Leaders from the Journal of Participatory Medicine](https://blog.jmir.org/unlocking-patient-powered-progress-featuring-leaders-from-the-journal-of-participatory-medicine) The landscape of healthcare is evolving, and at the forefront of this transformation is the powerful concept of patient engagement. 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