Challenge of personalized health care: to what extent is medicine already individualized and what are the future trends?

Abstract

Personalized medicine: is it hype or revolution? In any case, there is not only real demand for it, but it also has a history. As it is, the personal aspects of health care have been partly neglected in the current era of evidence-based, scientific medicine. We now know that a 'one fits all' type of treatment has its limits. Medicine needs to be (re-)personalized. The time is right: the post-genomic era provides the necessary molecular tools, but does it provide for the risks involved? Privacy, protection of minorities, and prevention of discrimination are at stake. Regulations are required. The health-care process needs redesigning to render personalized medicine effective. Information and communication management is challenged to handle the wealth of personal information and link to global medical knowledge. But the goal is magnificent: personal health planning, early diagnosis, the right drug for the right patient, and predictable side effects.