AI in Medtech, Employee Wellbeing: The Latest Health News Trends

A look at health news from PR Newswire in July and August that you might have missed.

By Rocky Parker | Published Sept. 4, 2023

It can be tough to keep up with all the health news sent via PR Newswire – there were more than 5,000 health-related press releases sent in the U.S. and Canada during July and August alone. To help readers stay on top of the big announcements, our team monitored the headlines, spotted a few key trends, and compiled them here.

Throughout the summer, we saw a consistent flow of releases related to the latest Alzheimer’s research as well as a continued focus by companies on their employees' wellbeing (physical, mental, and beyond), and regular announcements about AI and VR applications in healthcare.

Let’s take a closer look at the noteworthy trends we’ve seen across the health wire in July and August.

Most-Read Health Releases

In July and August, readers on prnewswire.com gravitated toward these press releases:

• Cancer research organization City of Hope announced its development of a targeted chemotherapy that appears to annihilate all solid tumors in preclinical research.
• Herbalife debuted its new plant-based Herbalife V product line, which includes protein shakes, a greens booster, and more.
• Eli Lilly shared clinical trial results that show tirzepatide’s positive effects on weight loss.
• The FDA approved TALVEY™ (talquetamab-tgvs), an antibody used in the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, a difficult-to-treat blood cancer.
• At the end of August, CVS Health launched Cordavis, which will bring high-quality biosimilar products to the U.S. market with the goal of reducing drug spend and ensuring access to affordable medications.

Health News Trends

Throughout July and August, several trends kept popping up in the health news on the wire. Let’s take a closer look.

AI and VR in Healthcare

The explosion of artificial intelligence applications is one that we’ve seen across industries, from tech to art and the environment. This transformation also applies to the healthcare space as companies are implementing AI (the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines) and virtual reality (the computer-generated simulation of a 3D image or environment that an individual can interact with) in myriad ways.

AI and VR applications in healthcare offer opportunities to advance the field when it comes to medical equipment, health records management, medical training, telemedicine, surgery, diagnostics, and more.

Of the 5,000+ healthcare releases sent in July and August, close to 400 of them mentioned “artificial intelligence” and/or “virtual reality.” Here are a few examples:

• AppliedVR and the National Cancer Institute announced positive results of their clinical trial, which tested the use of VR to relieve stress and anxiety experienced by brain tumor patients during their evaluations.
• UltraSight was granted FDA clearance for its AI-powered ultrasound guidance technology.
• Researchers at OSF HealthCare and Bradley University are working to develop VR technology to assist in pre-surgical planning of complex cardiac and cancer cases. OSF Healthcare is also using mixed-reality to train people on how to administer Narcan in order to prevent opioid overdose deaths.
• Pieces Technologies announced that its AI technology had completed 1 million autonomously written clinical summaries to aid in tasks like case management handoffs, discharge planning, and more.
• The Miri health and wellness platform launched in beta in August. The tool uses large language model AI to give users the authentic experience of communicating with a team of health and wellness experts.

Employee Wellbeing

Throughout July and August, our team spotted a number of press releases focused on the importance of employee wellbeing – whether it was the emotional, physical, mental, or financial health of a company’s staff.

Why the focus on more than just physical health? Great Place to Work finds that employee wellbeing is a key predictor of employee retention and employee referrals. Yet despite the clear importance of overall employee wellbeing, the company’s survey found that only 16% of U.S. employees are in a high state of wellbeing.

There is clearly lots of room for improvement, and companies across industries are sharing the ways they are promoting employee wellbeing, from gym memberships to mental health resources, financial literacy courses, and beyond.

In July and August, more than 150 releases were tied to both the human resources and health industries. Check out these releases tied to staff wellbeing:

• Regional grocery chain Giant Food introduced a new workplace wellness program that offers services like meal planning workshops, fitness challenges, and mindfulness experiences.
• Research by corporate wellness platform Gympass found that physically active employees lead to a 35% decrease in company healthcare costs.
• Hivebrite extended its mental health support for employees to its EU offices through a partnership with moka.care.
• Virgin Pulse launched a five-week challenge to combat loneliness and isolation among companies’ employees. The program encourages employees to make connections with their coworkers to support their emotional and physical wellbeing.
• Following its merger with Albertsons, Kroger announced it will provide 700,000+ part-time and full-time associates access to its continuing education benefit. The company will also expand access to its financial coaching tool.

Alzheimer’s Research

Although June is recognized as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month (and was a trend covered in our previous recap), it was a topic that maintained momentum on the wire throughout July and August. Its staying power on the wire is no surprise, since according to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease, which kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined and will cost the country $345 billion in 2023.

As companies prepared to release their latest research and treatment data at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, which ran from July 28-Aug. 1, we saw a corresponding wave of releases related to the topic across the wire.

Throughout the two months, PR Newswire distributed more than 260 releases that mentioned “Alzheimer’s.” Here are a few of them:

• In July, Quest Diagnostics announced the availability of the first blood test available for consumer purchase that helps assess the potential risk of developing Alzheimer's disease based on a brain protein.
• The Alzheimer’s Association recapped the research presented at AAIC, which covered advancements in treatment, early and accurate diagnosis, and our understanding of risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias.
• The Ad Council released a new set of PSAs aimed at educating the Hispanic community about the differences between normal aging and early signs of Alzheimer’s.
• The National University of Natural Medicine reported positive findings of its test of an individualized, holistic approach to Alzheimer’s treatment, which involved changes to patients' lifestyle, including sleep, diet, and stress management.

Takeaways

As we look ahead to the rest of the year, our team will continue to watch the growing use of AI, VR, and other technologies in the healthcare space. The calendar for the rest of the year is also packed with health-related observances, including National Suicide Prevention Week (September 10-16), Sexual Health Awareness Month (September), Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), and much more. We’ll be watching how companies share the latest stats, products, research, and more in relation to these important health-related topics.

Stay tuned for our next healthcare trends recap!

About the Author

Rocky Parker is the Manager of Audience and Journalist Engagement at Cision PR Newswire. She's been with the company since 2010 and has worked with journalists and bloggers as well as PR and comms professionals. Outside of work, she can be found trying a new recipe, binging a new show, or cuddling with her pitbull, Hudson.