The Health Horizons Program has been mapping the landscape of challenges and responses for health and health care in 2020. We have been looking ahead over the next decade because the future of health and health care seems more uncertain then ever before. In 2009, we looked systematically at these challenges and responses to develop our HC2020 Map charting signals and forecasts of the direction of change in health and health care in the coming decade.
To develop this map, we asked ourselves questions such as the following:
What if demands for sustainability require achieving healthy outcomes without harming the environment?
What if new technologies enable us to experience the future effects of present-day behavior choices?
What if self-tracking goes mainstream and shapes research and treatment practices?
One thing we all agree on, the challenges we face are daunting. At a glance, the United States seems to be the healthiest nation in the world, yet we rank low on longevity and other indicators of health. We spend more of our disposable income on medical care than food or housing, yet more than 130 million people suffer from chronic illness. And despite recent efforts by educators, public health officials, and the media to focus attention on the problem, one in five American 4-year-olds is now obese.
The signs of change are everywhere, but now is not the time to be overwhelmed by the complexity of what may lie ahead. The HC2020 map is designed to give you a tool to understand and think through this complexity. It is organized around a series of challenges in health and health care as well as a series of response strategies.
The map consists of several elements:
Forecasts: These are the big stories we see emerging over the next decade.
Artifacts from the Future: Each forecast is accompanied by an artifact from the future. Think of these as visual representations that tell the stories of how we might see encounter these forecasts in our daily lives in 2020.
Signals: Signals are the building blocks of the forecasts. They point to signs of change in the world and answer the question: Where do we see the future happening today?We're delighted to be able to share this research with you.
Please download our HC2020 Signals & Forecast Map to learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Contact Dawn Alva at dalva@iftf.org or 650-233-9585.
