2024 MWW Health Survey: AI & Innovation Top-of-Mind for Healthcare Communications Pros

It has been a busy year for MWW Health, both with the expansion of current client programs and new accounts coming aboard, including leaders in health tech, medtech, healthcare advisory services, biotech, providers, and clinician enablement. In preparation for next year and beyond, MWW Health conducted a survey of top healthcare public relations and communications professionals to better understand the biggest trends across the continuum of care, including opportunities and concerns related to misinformation, AI, and social media, among other topics. 

Respondents to MWW Health’s 2024 Healthcare Barometer Survey included agencies, pharmaceutical and medical device makers, technology firms, and healthcare payers and providers. Here are some of the insights we found. 

AI at the Forefront 

It’s no surprise that artificial intelligence is a major topic of interest, with nearly 50 percent of respondents citing AI as having the greatest likely impact on healthcare communications in the coming year. Misinformation and disinformation are also key areas of concern, spotlighted by 20 percent of respondents. Rounding out the list were workforce shortages, cybersecurity, and the economic climate.  

Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents described themselves as either confident or highly confident in their ability to effectively apply AI to their own marketing and communications challenges, though some expressed skepticism and a handful preferred to avoid AI altogether. 

Here at MWW Health, we have been working closely with our clients to shape the narrative around the tremendous positive possibilities of AI for healthcare — for diagnosis and treatment, the ability to reduce administrative burdens, and potential to accelerate innovation — as well as its possible pitfalls. We have also been working on several pilot programs across our portfolio, leveraging our own proprietary AI technology, to supercharge the work we are doing to elevate brands across healthcare.   

The Power of LinkedIn for B2B Communications 

When it comes to the preferred platform for business-to-business healthcare communications, LinkedIn emerged as the clear winner, cited by about 90% of respondents. Nearly eight million healthcare professionals use LinkedIn, and usage by clinical providers, including physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, saw double-digit growth between 2022 and 2023. But still only 30% of respondents said that they use it to its full potential. 

The majority of respondents currently using LinkedIn are taking a multifaceted approach, including sponsoring posts and thought leadership advertisements, using short-form video, posting organically at regular intervals, and monitoring for rapid-response opportunities. Even so, less than 10% of respondents regularly pitch the LinkedIn editorial team. 

Instagram emerged as the best social media platforms for consumer-focused healthcare, cited by just over 30% of respondents. LinkedIn and TikTok were tied for second place, with Facebook rounding out the list at about 14%. All this will mean growth for the US healthcare advertising market, which is expected to balloon to nearly $34 billion by 2032, driven in part by an increasing focus on digital platforms. 

Comms Preparation: Moving from Good to Great 

Although nearly half of respondents described themselves as either only slightly prepared or not prepared at all for a crisis, investments in crisis communications were relatively muted in the half that says it is prepared. Proactive investments in crisis protocols and preparedness can sometimes be difficult to make, but we see time and time again that waiting typically ends up being far more costly, both monetarily and in terms of reputation damage. 

Earned media/media relations topped the list of investments, with more than a quarter of respondents pointing to tried-and-true strategies as their greatest budgetary allocation. Despite shrinking newsrooms and massive transformations across the modern media ecosystem, healthcare brands still see and recognize massive value in building brand awareness and validation through earned media coverage. We couldn’t agree more!   

Is there the potential to do more and reach further in 2025? Absolutely. Asked to rate their organizations’ own healthcare communications performance over this past year, the majority of survey respondents felt that their efforts were “good” or “average,” with few willing to cite “excellent” as their answer. 

We applaud their honesty and express our gratitude to every hard-working healthcare communications leader who took the time to participate in MWW Health’s 2024 Healthcare Barometer Survey.  

There is no doubt that challenging times are ahead. However, with challenges also comes opportunity, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what comes next for this industry. By working collaboratively, and by remaining mindful of the pitfalls and opportunities afforded by AI, LinkedIn, and other platforms and tools, we at MWW Health are confident that “excellent” is within our collective reach.  

Get in touch with MWW Health: