The younger a German is, the larger the city in which he lives and the better his salary, the less at-tention he pays to his health. A recent survey carried out on behalf of Philips by the market research agency Forsa* showed that although two thirds of respondents said they eat a healthy diet and take regular exercise, only about half of the young respondents in the 18 to 29 years age group attend preventive health check-ups, such as dental check-ups, or go to the doctor if they have unfamiliar symptoms. Young men with a university degree and a high net household income in particular be-lieve that a pain or heart palpitations will just go away and they prefer to put up with any discomfort rather than consult a medical guide or go to see their GP. When a comparison is made of all age groups, what really stands out is the difference between the city and the countryside: only approxi-mately half of Germans who live in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants attend preventive check-ups or seek a doctor’s advice if they have unfamiliar symptoms.
There is a marked change in behaviour as people get older: some 80 per cent of respondents over the age of 60 say that they attend preventive check-ups, eat a healthy diet and take exercise. Some 85 per cent of people over the age of sixty who experience unfamiliar symptoms also seek advice from a GP much sooner than people in other age groups.
Philips commissioned the survey in August to mark the 50th anniversary of medical research in Hamburg. “The trend emerging amongst people in the older age groups is particularly encouraging,” says Dr. Peter Wierenga, CEO of Philips Research worldwide: “There is still a need, however, to educate young consumers,” because in the future prevention and early diagnosis are going to play a more important part in medical care than they do at present. “Minimum invasion methods and new facilities for diagnosing and treating diseases at cellular and molecular level will mean that in 2020 the treatment process will start earlier and be tailored more effectively to suit the individual needs of the patient,” explained Dr. Falko Busse, head of Philips Research in Hamburg. A patient will then spend less time in hospital receiving intensive treatment, the quality of the diagnosis and care will be better and overall there will be a reduced burden on the health system.
In recent decades Philips’ medical research has made significant progress towards healthcare that is geared specifically to a patient’s needs. Thanks to the work carried out by the scientists in Ham-burg, minimum invasion treatment via catheter can now be carried out not only with the aid of X-ray equipment but also with the support of high-grade 3D magnetic resonance tomography (MR) imag-ing (interventional MR). The software used sets up the MR systems automatically and this means that they can then be operated by inexperienced hospital staff (SmartExam). In other Philips labora-tories more intensive research is being carried out into the prevention of disease, tailor-made medi-cation and care. As part of the Aachen-based MyHeart project, Philips researchers developed port-able electronics and body systems that were integrated into a disease management system for pa-tients with heart insufficiency and a system for monitoring sleep. In Andover (USA) scientists are working on a system that enables a highly accurate diagnosis to be made at a very early stage using ultrasound signals and micro-bubble contrast medium and can transport medication directly to the site of the disease.
According to the Forsa survey, financial incentives – such as health insurance company premiums for attending preventive check-ups or fitness courses – could encourage young Germans to pay more attention to their health. It is also thought that an external motivator could have an important role to play. On the whole, the majority of respondents perceived medical research as something positive. Only about 18 per cent of respondents felt that doctors should develop a better understand-ing of their patients instead of relying on technical equipment.
* The study was based on national, representative telephone interviews conducted with 1,001 peo-ple aged over the age of 18 between 20 and 24 August 2007.
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