2023-11-16 22:29:17
by Health Editorial Staff
The hopes of compatriots to improve the future of health focus on diagnostic and therapeutic innovation, research progress to treat incurable diseases, telemedicine, home care, public-private partnerships
Almost four out of ten Italians are convinced that our health will worsen within five years; that it will happen within the next twenty years, even one compatriot in two thinks so, with a peak among the new generations (55 percent). Doctors are even more pessimistic: one in two says that we will be worse off in the next five years, as many as 61 percent believe that the health of the population will worsen in the next twenty years. These are some of the results of the opinion poll The future of health, conducted by AstraRicerche on a representative sample of the population made up of a thousand citizens between 18 and 75 years old and 300 doctors, and promoted by Novartis Italia.
Because your health will get worse
Among the factors that could have negative implications on the future of health are, according to the citizens interviewed: the pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), which leads to difficulties in accessing services (42% say this); the increase in tumors (38 percent), diseases linked to unhealthy lifestyles (38%) and disorders such as anxiety and depression (37%).
Doctors agree with citizens in believing that both the possible pressure on the NHS (41%) and the increase in the frequency of tumors (43%) and diseases caused by incorrect lifestyles (40%) and disorders such as anxiety and depression (37%); However, they also invite us to pay attention to the risks associated with the shortage of healthcare personnel and episodes of burn out (35%), as well as the increase in chronic diseases (33%).
What to do to feel better?
Who and what will help improve the future of health? The hope of Italians focuses on diagnostic innovation (40%) and therapeutic innovation (39%), the progress of scientific research to treat incurable diseases (39%), the advancement of technology and telemedicine (38%) , but also the spread of home care (78%) and the development of public-private partnerships (72%).
The interviewees recognize the fundamental role of the “partners” called to work for the future of health: first of all researchers engaged in Research and Development (73%), doctors and nurses (68%), but also individual citizens through their greater awareness (65%), pharmaceutical companies (60%), institutions (58%) and patient associations (55%).
For their part, to improve health in the future, doctors look with confidence to the progress of scientific research (43%) and to prevention and screening activities (42%), personalized medicine (41%), diagnostic innovation (41% ), t elemedicine (37%).
Fears
Six out of ten Italians – especially women and those over 65 – are very anxious about tomorrow. The reasons? The environment, wars, poverty, inequalities; but health also raises fears (in 35 percent of the sample), more than racism, extremism, the aging population and the decline in births.
More than six out of ten interviewees – especially the less well-off groups (74%) and those who are not working, such as the unemployed and pensioners – express concern about the future of younger people; first of all for work (63% of the sample), in particular for precariousness (53%) and pension prospects (45%). Another factor that worries the environment: 53 percent of the sample fears that young people will live in a world damaged beyond repair and with frequent environmental catastrophes.
Whose responsibility is it to improve the future?
Everyone can do their part to improve the future. For 8 out of 10 Italians the main responsibility of national, international and local institutions; more than 7 out of 10 people think that individual citizens, the economic world and private companies should also be involved.
As for the behaviors implemented by compatriots to improve the future, they focus on the environment (with recycling) and energy saving (72%) and containment of unnecessary expenses (65%). For the new generations, it is also important to spread the culture of inclusion and enhance diversity (39% of the sample supports this).
Priorities for young people
Young people between 18 and 24 years old, who participated in the survey, are the most projected into the future and also the least “fatalistic”: more than 8 out of 10, in fact, are convinced they can influence it. Around four out of ten interviewees believe that there should be greater attention to the mental/psychological well-being of people – and not just physical – by schools, universities and the world of work, and then that technologies for treating those with an illness, that there should be more attention to psychological well-being also by the National Health Service, as well as a greater diffusion of technologies such as telemedicine (35% think so).
To involve the new generations and accommodate their concerns and suggestions, a collaboration has been started between Novartis Italia and the National Youth Council (Cng). The negative vision of the new generations regarding the future of health must be matched by the effort of all the actors in the country’s system to reverse the trend – said Maria Cristina Rosaria Pisani, president of the CNG, during the conference in Rome -. It is extremely positive that a pharmaceutical company wants to re-imagine the health of tomorrow together with young people. We will launch some working groups that will actively involve young doctors and researchers, representatives of patients and institutions and healthcare managers to gather their points of view and their needs.
Teamwork
During the presentation of the survey, Novartis Italia renewed its commitment to re-imagining the future of health, together with various partners, from institutions to doctors and patient associations. We will invest 350 million in Italy by 2025 to strengthen “Research and development” and production activities in the centers of excellence of Torre Annunziata and Ivrea – said Valentino Confalone, Country President of the pharmaceutical company -. In addition to investing in innovation in various areas of health (cardiovascular, immunology, neuroscience, tumors), we are committed to working with doctors and patient associations to improve treatment pathways and with institutions to encourage early access to medicines by of patients who need it.
Re-imagining the future to provide answers to the health needs of the population is a priority, representatives of institutions, doctors and patient associations argued during a round table.
According to Andrea Costa, former Undersecretary of Health and expert in implementation strategies of the Pnrr-Mission 6 Health, one of the lessons left by the pandemic is that great challenges are faced together, as a team. We must have the ability to rethink a new reorganization: we cannot face today’s challenges with yesterday’s tools. We must therefore start again from listening and comparing.
Investing in health and facilitating access to care
The pandemic has shown that when health is missing, everything is missing and that it is essential to invest in health, one euro invested in research leads to around 3 euros of savings on future health expenses, recalled the Honorable Ugo Cappellacci, president of the Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber .
Professor Maria Chiara Vulpiani, medical director of the Institute of Sports Medicine – Sport and Health, focused on the importance of physical activity for the prevention of especially chronic non-communicable diseases, as well as being a panacea for mental well-being.
We are in a country full of excellence but the problem is accessing it because there are barriers such as waiting lists, and also of an informative nature – underlined Francesca Moccia, deputy general secretary of Cittadinanzattiva -. “Proximity care” means providing answers to chronically ill people in the area, also through the use of telemedicine, which is not yet a reality.
Finally, Dr. Luciano Pletti, vice-president of CARD (Confederation of Regional District Associations), focused on the role of health districts in improving care in the area.
November 16, 2023 (modified November 16, 2023 | 9.28pm)
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