Five predictions for health communications in 2025
It is an understatement to say that we live in uncertain times. Geopolitical tensions, environmental news, political unrest, and economic challenges can feel overwhelming. In our industry, budgets and resources remain tight, high-profile redundancies are being reported, and some businesses are fighting for survival. Politically, RFK’s nomination for US Secretary of Health and Human Services is set to impact public health in the US and beyond and could affect the FDA and drug approvals.
With this backdrop, it is tempting to give up and hibernate under a blanket.
However, let us make the case for hanging on to a thread of optimism. Across many trend reports, we’re seeing words like resilience, mindfulness, creativity, community, and kindness as ways of dealing with the world. (We’re also seeing words like brain-rot and slop. More on that later). Dulux’s colour of the year is True Joy, an uplifting, optimistic yellow.
While we acknowledge there are events happening in the world that we cannot and should not ignore, we are going to look at our predictions for healthcare communications through a lens of optimistic yellow, and with a curiosity to help build resilience.
1. Competition, collaboration and community in pharma and biotech
The business of biotech and pharma is to get medicines to those who need them, balancing safety and speed of commercialisation, while making a profit. A simple statement with a complex framework of data requirements, pricing strategies, supply chain, and organisational bodies to navigate at a global, national, and local level.
This is nothing new. However, what is now emerging is the rapidly changing policy context that the industry is operating in. While the industry holds its breath to see what policy changes happen in the next political term in the US, others are already in play that are creating further complexities and forcing the industry to quickly adapt. These include:
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Governments and healthcare systems globally are intensifying scrutiny on drug pricing to manage healthcare budgets. There is an expectation of expanding access to low and middle-income countries at affordable rates.
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The need to reduce environmental impact and demonstrate social responsibility, incurring costs to transition to greener manufacturing processes, coupled with the reputational risk if ESG benchmarks are not met.
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Global policy shifts are increasing scrutiny of patent protections to encourage generics and biosimilars, and advocacy for quick access to affordable medicines.
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The rise in digital healthcare requires compliance with emerging regulations for digital therapeutics and AI tools. Increased adoption of telemedicine, health apps, and wearables drive associated concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity.
These shifts are all important to drive equitable access to treatments, but what they risk is reducing incentives for innovation. We must be resilient and respond in a way that protects R&D as the lifeblood of our industry and the focus on improving health outcomes.
How do we respond? What are the opportunities these policy shifts are creating? In 2025, we will see new levels of collaboration to co-create systems and solutions. This will be both private and public, and companies who are otherwise competitors will join forces to tackle a shared problem. This requires building relationships, earning trust, and delivering on reputational promises.
What must not be forgotten in the scramble to make sense of and navigate the global shifts, is the communities we are here to serve. They need to have a place at the table and a say in the solutions.
2. AI everywhere, trust nowhere? Real stories will define healthcare content in 2025
AI-generated content isn’t just speeding up production—it’s unlocking opportunities for deeper understanding. However, the rapid adoption of generative AI across platforms where people discover and connect is raising trust concerns and hesitation among users. According to the Accenture Life Trends survey, 62% of respondents now prioritise trust when choosing to engage with a brand—up from 56% last year.
To cut through the noise of generic, AI-generated content and to help audiences distinguish the real from the artificial, brands and creators must prioritise authenticity. This means finding innovative ways to signal trustworthiness and foster genuine connections in their digital interactions.
This is where the role of PR and communications becomes even more critical. These disciplines are essential to building a brand’s reputation and fostering trust among stakeholders, ensuring that the content truly resonates, cutting through the noise, and enabling meaningful engagement with audiences that value authenticity.
In healthcare communications, AI and human expertise need to work hand in hand. While AI can supercharge our ability to analyse behaviours, environments, and social factors, it’s the human touch that shapes meaningful, insight-led narratives—stories that show why health matters to individuals and communities alike. When used thoughtfully, AI becomes a tool for inclusivity, accessibility, and connection, helping us break down barriers and tell stories that not only reach people but also transform lives.
At Curious Health Communications Ltd, we believe the key to creating impactful healthcare communication lies in the human approach. AI’s analytics may help us understand the bigger picture, but it’s by engaging directly with patient groups, listening to their lived experiences, and capturing their unique stories that we uncover the most powerful insights. These personal and authentic narratives are what elevate healthcare content from informative to transformative.
In 2025, the potential of AI isn’t just about producing more content—it’s about creating meaningful connections. By blending the power of AI with authentic human stories, we can deliver communication that not only informs but truly inspires trust.
3. The misinformation epidemic becomes a pandemic
In our predictions for 2024, we referred to the misinformation epidemic and its link to health inequity. In 2025, we risk this becoming a pandemic. And we know how those turn out.
While we wait to see if RFK will be confirmed in post as US Secretary for Health and Human Services, we have learned more about his health beliefs. Which include – vaccines cause autism in children, that AIDS is not caused by HIV, antidepressants are responsible for mass school shootings, and that a herbicide causes gender dysphoria, leading to increases in young people identifying as transgender. “Sigh”.
Brandwatch recently issued its Health and Wellness report, highlighting how consumers are increasingly using AI tools to search for information to help with self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
Online conversations about these topics grew 50% between August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. In some markets like the UK, this might be driven by the difficulties of getting a GP appointment. It could also reflect that some people have lost trust in the healthcare system. Whatever is driving it, the result for many will be access to low quality information and misinformation. Dr Google, or perhaps Dr ChatGPT now, will also not help with health anxiety, a topic we’ve written about here.
We must remember that we can’t fix everything. We need to focus on our stakeholders and patient communities. First, we identify to what extent misinformation is impacting them. Perhaps some of this narrative is so bat-sh*t crazy, it is having the opposite effect (there’s that optimism we promised). To establish the facts, we can run research amongst communities and/ or use social listening to establish what topics are being engaged with in relation to different therapy areas and where people are searching for information.
This can then inform the creation of accessible content that meets the needs of our communities. We wrote about this in a series of articles last year.
Reassuringly, alongside the rise of misinformation, we are seeing a growing awareness of the issue. In the Accenture Life Trends survey 59.9% of people are questioning the authenticity of online content more than ever. People’s need for trust could see disengagement from brands they don’t trust or, have them leaving platforms where they see the spread of misinformation. For example, the reported 115,000 X accounts that were deactivated the day after the US elections.
While pharma and biotech have a long-established history of ‘trust issues’, we should strive to build trust amongst our stakeholders by the way we behave in our relationships with them – either in person, or through digital channels. Having communications as a strategic function in a business, rather than purely a tactic, means you are consistently focused on nurturing a positive reputation and meaningful relationships that build trust.
4. We’ll take a break (maybe just a short one) from social media
The year ahead might usher in a significant shift: people unplugging from social media, at least temporarily. In 2024, the discourse around doom-scrolling, so-called “brain rot”, fractured attention spans, and the mental health impact of constant connectivity reached a crescendo. Paired with an overwhelming stream of negative news, this could prompt many to reassess their relationship with social media, either taking hiatuses or switching to simpler “dumb phones.”
This isn’t just speculation – tools like Brandwatch have highlighted a growing conversation around alternative digital habits. Meanwhile, concerns about the dangers of social media, especially among younger people, are fuelling this trend. A generation increasingly prioritising mental well-being may start to move away from platforms that contribute to anxiety and stress.
For healthcare brands, this shift carries a crucial message: it’s time to diversify your approach. While social media has long been a cornerstone of communication strategies, an overreliance on it could leave brands vulnerable if audiences begin to disengage. The solution? Explore multi-channel approaches that respect audiences’ desire to unplug while still delivering meaningful connections.
This could mean enhancing focusing on real-world community engagement, or leaning into targeted content hosted on trusted, ad-free platforms. Thoughtful, informative websites or interactive tools that offer tangible value without the noise of a feed could also rise in importance.
As people redefine their digital boundaries, we must adapt. By respecting the need to disconnect and finding innovative ways to engage, healthcare companies can not only stay relevant but build deeper trust with their audiences. In 2025, balance will be key – and those who achieve it will set themselves apart.
5. Loneliness is recognised as a health issue
Loneliness isn’t just about FOMO – it’s a significant health risk.
Nearly five years on from the pandemic and living in the ‘new normal’ of virtual appointments, remote working, and more long-distance relationships from people moving away from cities, many are missing social connection.
Almost half of UK adults report feeling lonely occasionally or more frequently. When we take a more granular view, we can see where certain groups are more affected. Young people between 16-34, people living with a disability or long-term condition, those in the LGBTQ+ community, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds were all more likely to experience chronic.
Loneliness can be devastating for our health. Loneliness is linked to:
For health brands, we need to consider how we can create a sense of connection and engage in meaningful ways.
While some may be turning away from social media, others may turn towards it. Contrary to popular belief, social media isn’t absolutely linked to loneliness. It’s a nuanced relationship, with social media acting as a balm for loneliness in some ways, depending on the user, user intent and frequency of use. This effect is seen more in certain groups, such as those living with long-term conditions or older adults. Instead of seeing online platforms purely as marketing avenues, we need to shift our understanding to recognise them as a lifeline for many individuals – physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Offline, we need to find ways to create, tap into, and leverage existing communities to reduce loneliness and improve health outcomes. Many are looking towards running clubs, art classes, and more to connect with others. Beyond providing a social outlet, these areas can be rich in opportunities to educate and support individuals.
How can we best meet people where they are? What can we do to ensure our online tactics encourage good social media hygiene? How can we engage authentically, cultivate a sense of community, and achieve better health outcomes? How can we interact and leverage these spaces without intruding or taking up space that isn’t ours to take?
2025 will push us to think – and rethink – about these questions if we want to deliver transformative work. To cut-through, brands will need to (finally) ditch the ‘one size fits all’ approach to online platforms and get creative with how they cultivate meaningful engagement and conversations online and offline. Understanding brand equity, especially how it may differ between different audience segments, will be imperative to identify how you’re showing up, how you can show up better, and opportunities to build and support communities.
Conclusion
We should not ignore the wider geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges the world faces, nor the very real shifts happening in our own industry. These shifts must be seen as an opportunity to evolve and use our skillset to solve our client’s problems. As a team, we go into 2025 with a realistic assessment of the challenges the industry faces, but with the optimism and belief that health communications have a role to play in shaping the future of a resilient industry.