What 2024 has to offer your body and mind
• The trend to mental and physical healthcare delivery is accelerating
In 2024, technology will continue to transform healthcare, but as the costs of medical care increase, preventive healthcare will be even more in the forefront. Writing on the 10 biggest trends revolutionising healthcare in 2024, Forbes health writer Bernard Marr says preventive healthcare, which includes exercise, wellness and immunisations, and the shift from reactive to proactive approaches will be a strategic priority for healthcare providers and their patients in 2024.
“Research has shown that it can create long-term benefits for patients, as well as reduce the costs associated with treating preventable conditions.”
The wearable tech market is set to soar in 2024, as many consumers are ready to progress from fitness activity trackers and watches to virtual reality (VR) and augmentedreality headsets. The trend reflects the public’s growing appetite for innovation, Mia Erikson writes on the Australian wellness website Body+Soul.
“No matter how people choose to move their bodies, they want to be connected seamlessly with experts every day, taking the reins of their health into their own hands,” Erikson says.
But low-tech walking — in a park or in one’s neighbourhood — remains the top form of exercise, and understandably, as it’s free and you do not need to fit into a particular timetable. In SA, finding a safe place to walk, as well as a safe time, will remain a concern in some areas. But people in SA are also likely to continue to seek out gyms and other types of exercise they can enjoy, such as yoga, Pilates, Zumba, kickboxing and Crossfit. Loyalty programmes — such as Vitality that give you points for using the gym and having regular medical check-ups — are likely to remain popular for those who have access to a private medical aid.
Preventive healthcare, especially getting regular exercise and following a healthy diet, has become even more important as people extend their working life and live longer.
Marr says technological advances also have their place in preventive healthcare, with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable technology enabling early warning and rapid intervention.
“AI promises to dramatically change everything from the way we develop medicine and treat patients to the business and commercial side of healthcare.” Its emergence is the driving force behind many societal trends, he says.
CHATBOTS
Generative AI — AI technology that can produce various types of content, including text, imagery, audio and synthetic data — in particular, will be impactful in 2024 as it will make it easier to implement and interpret results and generate personalised recommendations, he says. The creation of chatbots and virtual assistants will help at every stage of the patient journey.
Personalised medicine, such as tailored treatment plans for individual patients, enables more efficient use of resources and is being done with technology and data, says Marr. Advanced applications are being used especially in genomics, where AI is being used to analyse patients’ DNA to diagnose and treat diseases and to create personalised medicines.
Even those among us with little experience of AI have spoken to a chatbot. It is not always a pleasant experience but they do fill a need where there is a shortage of experienced staff. These “virtual healthcare assistants” are likely to be used even more widely, as they can help practitioners, providing advice on treatments, diagnoses and medications, and assisting patients by answering questions and referring them to other resources so they can make more informed decisions about their own care.
Many practitioners in SA using online booking systems and more are bound to come on board as these help the process by allowing a patient to book and cancel at the click of a mouse. The program also enters the appointment into the patient’s Google calendar, helping them to remember and thereby also helping the practitioner. More practitioners are tech-savvy now, and prepared to have email conversations with their patients between appointments. This can help them to get answers to any questions they have and stay more compliant with their medication.
Marr says that for people who are isolated or living in remote areas, the virtual assistant can provide companionship and be a vital mental health support.
Erickson concurs that holistic health, guided by expert-backed, data-driven science, is on the rise. Part of that is being proactive with our mental health. Cultivating a positive mindset and establishing strong mental habits are the foundation, she says.
The problems we all experienced during the Covid19 pandemic, as well as its aftermath, have inspired us to reprioritise our mental health, says Luke McLeod, founder of the mindfulness platform Soul Alive.
“If you prioritise your mental health, this builds a strong foundation for any other goal you set. Although you may ‘look good’ on the outside, this doesn’t mean you’re healthy on the inside. It doesn’t matter how many times you go to the gym, if you don’t prioritise your mental health, you’re still going to be unhealthy.”
This illustrates a rise in the trend of the convergence of mental and physical healthcare delivery. “For most of the history of medicine, mental and physical healthcare have been relatively siloed,” says Marr. “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed that, as providers increasingly recognise the intrinsic links between physical and mental wellbeing and the need for a holistic approach.”
Examples of this include general practitioners screening for ways in which mental health issues may affect the treatment and recovery of their patients’ physical ailments.
The trend of being more proactive with one’s own health includes the shift to alcohol-free beverages and aiming for a diet that supports brain health, such as the Mediterranean diet.
As people become more aware of the connection between gut health and physical as well as mental wellness, the range of gut-friendly nutrition, such as fermented foods like kefir, tempeh, miso, kimchi and kombucha, as well as prebiotics and probiotics, is set to increase.
In addition, people will be making more eco-conscious food choices, with an accompanying rise in sustainable agriculture and projects to reduce food waste.
In terms of elderly care, there is innovation in helping people stay independent for longer, and providing more quality of life. There will also be an increased focus on developing new treatments for diseases that occur in old age and put a strain on care systems, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, says Marr.
Work life is also set to be affected by AI. Stéphanie Messier, CEO of HR à la carte in the US, says that globally, digitisation and transformation will become a norm for all workplaces, with constant evolution of technologies and generative AI. Workplaces will try to find ways to use AI to fast-track work.
Flux Trends, based in Johannesburg, says that in SA, the adoption of AI technology in workplaces will be gradual because its adoption comes with challenges.
“One such challenge is preventing company secrets from being leaked through the use of generative AI. AI is not going to radically remove jobs but workforces will have to adapt to working with it as a new tool. They will function more as co-pilots,” Flux says.
Messier says “digital competencies and change of mindsets in adopting technologies will continue to rise as a result of a decrease in hiring staff, but also a knowledge workforce who had to adjust rapidly to collaborative technologies from the pandemic”.
According to Flux Trends, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of technologies such as virtual meetings, and people have become more comfortable adopting technologies than before. “Also, many workers are worried about losing their jobs to automation and are looking to upgrade their skills to include technological ones.”
With the boomers exiting the work market, there will be a greater increase in the demographics (or diversity) of workplaces and there will be an even greater focus on inclusion initiatives, says Messier.
LONGER LIFESPANS
Flux Trends says the exit of boomers from the workforce has been cushioned by a rising trend of delaying retirement because of longer lifespans and economic necessity. “Many are transitioning to a part-time arrangement with their companies, and some are working into their 70s.
“In addition to the moral case for workplace diversity, research conducted by McKinsey found that it makes business sense too. Companies that were more racially and ethnically diverse were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians and those with gender diversity, 15%.”
Another trend that was accelerated by the pandemic, hybrid work, is expected to lead to a more decentralised workforce, while organisations will expand their hybrid working models to include more collaborative work.
“The hybrid working model will continue to grow. However, there are many organisations that are resisting implementing flexibility,” says Flux Trends. “Caitlin Duffy, director in the Gartner HR practice, said that such organisations would experience long-term reputation and attrition risks and ‘hinder their long-term competitiveness in what will inevitably be a more virtual society in future’.”
As a new young cohort enters the workplace, Messier says this newer generation (Gen-Z) “will demand sustainable actions in the workplace to reduce environment impact and will also demand support for mental health, wellbeing and work-life balance”.
Flux Trends concurs: “They want to do meaningful work with a sense of autonomy and flexibility. Empathy is also a prerequisite for taking on more responsibility and increasing engagement.”
Finally, says Messier, there is a newer focus on equipping leaders with tools and approaches to lead teams in hybrid workplaces.
“Leading hybrid teams is an essential skill for today’s leaders,” says Flux Trends. “It represents a new challenge for leaders, and many educational institutions have begun offering courses on this. The Gordon Institute of Business Science has an advanced master class called leading hybrid teams.”
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS AFTERMATH HAVE INSPIRED US TO REPRIORITISE OUR MENTAL HEALTH