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Health horizons

The power of preventive and personalised health

Promoting the health of your employees is important to the success of your organisation. Poor health can lead to absences and lower productivity at work. One in three working age people in the UK have a long-term health condition.1

Science and technology have advanced faster than the workplace. Genomics, AI enabled risk prediction and wearables can now identify some health risks years before symptoms even appear. But most employers aren't yet using them.

Each of your team members will have their own health needs. And with a workforce that is multigenerational, a personalised approach may be needed to address the different needs of your employees. Making a targeted effort to maintain employee health and wellbeing will also benefit your organisation.

What if instead of dealing with health issues when they happen, you could take measures to prevent them occurring? It’s time for an approach that is proactive, predictive and preventive.

What does personalised health mean?

Personalised health essentially is trying to move away from a one size fits all approach of health that most of us are used to. Giving everyone the same advice and treatment is not effective because each person’s health needs, risks and circumstances are different. For instance, we now know that our DNA has influence on risk of diseases as well as medication response.

Dr Rebecca Rohrer, Clinical Innovations and Genomics Director at Bupa says “personalised health is being driven by insights from genes, lifestyle, health data and environment to tailor prevention, diagnosis and care to individuals.2 It also gives people more control over managing their health”.

The health challenges of a multigenerational workforce

The UK workforce is ageing, and as a result will have considerable health challenges. Recent evidence shows that 3.9 million people in work have a work limiting health condition. The consequences of poor health for businesses are substantial. Productivity loss, absenteeism and staff turnover can cost employers £150 billion per year.13

There is clearly more that needs to be done to improve the health of workers so that they are not pushed to take time off work, or work through being ill (presenteeism). Employers also need a solution for retention of employee talent and supporting return to work following ill health.

Personalised health present opportunities for employees that can address current workforce health challenges.

Unlocking health insights from your DNA

Your DNA gives you traits such as your eye or hair colour. It also can be linked to your health. Having certain changes in our genes can lead to greater risk of certain conditions. For example, carrying mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes poses an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.4

DNA testing is now available which can identify genetic variants in a person’s genome that could put them at risk of developing certain conditions. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) are also able to identify individuals at the highest risk of conditions. With this knowledge they can work with healthcare professionals in taking measures to reduce their risk, which might include lifestyle changes, regular screening, monitoring and risk reducing surgery.6

Getting the right medicine for you

Your genes can determine your risk for certain conditions. They can also influence how medicines affect you. Nearly everyone (about 98 per cent) has at least one genetic variant (change) that impacts how they respond to a medicine.7 This includes commonly used medicines such as antidepressants and painkillers.7 Personalised medicine guided by pharmacogenomics can mean people get the right medication and the right dosage. This can avoid adverse effects and cut down on healthcare costs. 8

Digital health apps and wearables

Health apps and wearables are offering a convenient and non-invasive means for individuals to track different aspects of their health. Heart rate, physical activity, sleep, stress levels and more can be captured on devices such as smart watches, rings and patches.9 This can aid early detection of some health problems so that they can be managed earlier. 9 They can also enable people to take more control over their health and encourage healthier behaviours.10

Benefits to employees

Sixty-seven percent of UK workers want to take steps to prevent illnesses.3 Offering or encouraging personal health solutions can help create a healthier and happier workforce. Personalised insights from genomics and wearables can help find some health risks early on so that action can be taken to reduce risks.5,6,10

Your employees could also see improvements in their health. Digital wearables have helped with increasing physical activity, improving dietary habits and weight loss.11 Being able to achieve health goals may reflect in work performance as well, as healthier teams are more productive.12 Employees can also feel more supported in their health and wellbeing, boosting their engagement and improving their performance.

Preventative measures to health can also be a way to reduce work absences.

Employees who have health conditions can still be able to work with the right support.13 A personalised approach to health can help identify issues early, rather than later when health may deteriorate affecting ability to work.

Business benefits to employers

Organisations and businesses can benefit greatly from promoting the health and wellbeing of their employees. Focusing on personalisation and prevention could potentially help to reduce absences, by identifying health problems earlier so that they can be managed. This could then reduce costs incurred by absences and lost productivity which are considerably high.

How to integrate personalised health into the workplace Offer personalised health assessments and screening

Provide employees with tailored health assessments that consider age, lifestyle, and individual risk factors. These can help identify issues early — such as cardiovascular risks, diabetes, or musculoskeletal concerns — before they affect work or wellbeing. Earlier identification of health issues means earlier support so that they may return to work faster when recovered.13

Use digital health tools, wearables and symptom trackers

Wearables and health apps allow employees to monitor sleep, activity levels, stress and other metrics. They can help people take an active role in their health and support earlier conversations with clinicians. Fitness related apps could help your employees improve physical activity levels. Other health related apps can also encourage better health behaviours and habits. 10 A healthier workforce will increase productivity and job satisfaction.14

You could encourage employees to use digital tools as part of a health promotion initiative.

Interventions based on DNA insights

Genomics (the study of all a person’s DNA) is expected to be integrated into routine healthcare, as information from a person’s DNA can inform disease risk. This can then guide to the necessary measures to reduce risk. Employees could be offered specific recommendations based on their genetic profile which might include lifestyle changes, screening and monitoring.

Personalised medicine can help employees get the right medication first time, preventing side effects and reducing hospitalisations that would require time off work.15

By shifting from “cure” to prevention, employers can spot problems early, support people proactively and keep workforces healthier for longer. Personalised health and a focus on prevention can help to achieve greater productivity and a more resilient workforce.16 Investing in prevention has an economic benefit for employers, with every £1 spent on prevention giving an average return on investment on productivity of £4.17

The next era of workplace health is personalised, and it’s already here.

Partnering with experts like Bupa ensures your teams benefit from the latest science, technology and clinical insight. In our recent Health Horizons event we explored how new innovations from personalised healthcare to genomic testing, can help employers move from reactive to proactive healthcare. Watch the Health Horizons: The power of personalised healthcare here.

References

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