Our healthy future

What do we want our healthy future to look like, and how can we ensure science helps (and does not hinder) our path towards that future?

Science and technology has a profound impact on civilisations and individuals, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that some applications of science and technology can also have detrimental effects. Looking forward, the biggest questions for society, and policy-makers, are less about which specific technologies will be the most significant, but instead about how we use them.

The PHG Foundation’s My healthy future project combined extensive research and analysis with a series of structured evidence-building exercises, to consider the possible impacts of new and future science and technology over a 20 year timeframe.

Our healthy future presents our vision of what the future of health could look like and identifies issues and actions to help the policy-makers of today make preparations to realise this potential - and avoid the pitfalls

This short report outlines the features of a future health system underpinned by science and technology and calls for alliances of stakeholders to support responsible design and effective delivery of health innovations.

By Philippa Brice, Rebecca Bazeley