The future of health

Four mindsets shaping trust, innovation and care

Healthcare is changing rapidly. New technologies, digital services and innovative models of care offer opportunities to improve outcomes, expand access and support overstretched health systems. Yet their success depends on more than technological capability alone. It depends on trust. Based on a global survey of 12,500 people across 17 countries, new research from DNV explores how people build confidence in healthcare, innovation and the organizations shaping the future of health.

Trust is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for innovation in healthcare. While organizations often segment audiences by age, income, geography or other demographic factors, DNV‘s research suggests that these characteristics provide only part of the picture. 

DNV identified four distinct trust mindsets: Trusting Optimists, Human Connectors, Evidence Evaluators and Practical Pragmatists. Together, these mindsets reveal what shapes confidence in healthcare services, medical technologies and new models of care. 

The report examines how people view innovation, what they expect from healthcare organizations, and why individuals with similar demographic profiles can respond very differently to the same technology or service. It also explores the growing importance of human connection, evidence, accountability and tangible outcomes in building trust. 

The report provides practical insight into how public expectations are evolving and what this means for the future of health innovation. 

Key insights:  

Four trust mindsets shape attitudes towards healthcare innovation 

The research identifies four distinct groups: Trusting Optimists, Human Connectors, Evidence Evaluators and Pragmatic Realists.  

Pragmatic Realists are the largest group. The largest mindset is focused less on how innovative something is and more on whether it improves access, affordability and healthcare outcomes. 

Human connection remains a priority. Concern about losing the human touch in healthcare extends across multiple mindsets, even among people who are positive about technology and innovation. 

Trust takes different forms 

Some people look to institutions and progress, others to relationships, evidence and accountability, or tangible improvements to everyday healthcare experiences

Common assumptions about age do not always hold 

The findings suggest attitudes towards innovation are shaped by experience and confidence in healthcare systems, not simply by age or demographic characteristics. 

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