Training, access and efficacy: the healthcare landscape is huge and complex. And it will only continue to grow as medicine becomes ever more innovative and populations live longer. Over the past three years, Covid has shown us just how much healthcare matters as well as where it faces some real challenges.
Keep your own content looking healthy by using Ikon's hand-picked image library when you’re talking about healthcare. Here are some of our favourite healthcare images and illustrations: they’re just what the doctor ordered.
The National Health Service, or NHS, celebrates its 75th anniversary later this year. Publicly funded, NHS England employs 1.2 million people with an annual budget of over £190 billion, alongside NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care (HSC) Northern Ireland.
Despite widespread public support during the pandemic, the NHS is facing some big challenges. The health service has been plagued by strikes since October 2022, with nurses, ambulance workers, and junior doctors all taking industrial action over pay, as well as concerns about staffing levels and burnout. Senior doctors will vote on strike action in late June.
Meanwhile, official waiting lists for hospital treatment have reached record levels,
and waits for ambulances and in A&E are long.
While most European countries have universal healthcare, this is provided in several ways, encompassing a range of systems from the fully publicly-funded to statutory insurance models.
Despite these differences in delivery, the EU aims to work collaboratively to solve common healthcare challenges through the
European Health Union.
This builds on the collective power that emerged, in part, from the pandemic and its aftermath.
Its key priorities include crisis preparedness, a pharmaceutical strategy, cancer, health data, and a global health strategy.
The US healthcare system is a complex web, based on private insurance, employer-provided insurance and government programmes such as Medicare and Medicaid. In 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Dubbed 'Obamacare', the ACA expanded eligibility for Medicaid and overhauled the individual market for insurance, roughly halving the number of uninsured Americans.
However, the high cost of healthcare remains one of the biggest challenges in the US. Despite insurance, many still face high out-of-pocket costs, while being uninsured can be financially ruinous.
Wherever in the world you're working, you're sure to find the right stock healthcare images in Ikon's library to help capture the complexities and challenges in our healthcare systems.
Earlier this month, the WHO declared that Covid is no longer a global health emergency. This is surely good news but, while the worst of the pandemic might be over, we’re still seeing the effects of the virus: Long Covid, continued infections and deaths, economic uncertainty, and the entrenchment of virtual ways of living and working.
Most experts agree that it’s not a matter of if but a matter of when the next pandemic will occur, but how prepared are we? As we await the outcome of official reports and
inquiries into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic,
the WHO has recently launched a new initiative for pandemic preparedness. Meanwhile,
researchers warn that we ignore the lessons learned during Covid at our peril.
This is one to be keeping a close eye on, and is sure to factor into your editorial content in the short term and beyond. Let Ikon’s stock illustrations catch your readers’ eye, too.
Pharmaceuticals are big business. With revenue of $1.4 trillion in 2021, the industry is projected to be worth $2.4 trillion by the end of the decade. From contraceptive pills, diabetes drugs, antidepressants and painkillers to name but a few, many people rely on medicines to treat a variety of conditions and lead their best life. In the US, over 66% of adults take regular prescription medication and in the UK and EU it is around 40-55%.
However, few industries – and certainly not one as large as pharmaceuticals – can be free from criticism. The UK government has raised
concerns about overprescribing,
finding 10% of medications may be unnecessary or even harmful to patients, while
drugmakers and pharmacies have been blamed
for their role in the ongoing opioid epidemic in North America.
And it’s no surprise that the industry has also managed to attract several “Big Pharma” conspiracy theories over the years, covering everything from HIV/AIDS to cancer and, of course, Covid-19.
Thanks to an increasing level of awareness of health and wellness,
we have more access to and information about treatments and therapies than ever before.
Some people look to other traditions, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, encompassing acupuncture, herbs, and tai chi, and the ancient Indian practice of Ayurvedic medicine.
Others will seek out complementary treatments such as chiropractic, massage, or aromatherapy.
It’s worth noting, however, that there is a lot of debate about the efficacy of some alternative therapies.
This, alongside the popularity and proliferation of online health gurus, means it’s a subject that people are sure to keep talking about.
While we can’t promise that picture editors and art directors will find our catalogue as soothing as a lavender-scented bath, we can promise that it is full of the evocative stock images you need to complement your content.
All the vital signs are there: editorial illustrations, educational images, or corporate design, Ikon’s collection of stock illustrations will help keep your publication in good health.
Trending Illustrations: Get Your Next Healthcare Illustration
Stock illustration credit Andrew Baker
Training, access and efficacy: the healthcare landscape is huge and complex. And it will only continue to grow as medicine becomes ever more innovative and populations live longer. Over the past three years, Covid has shown us just how much healthcare matters as well as where it faces some real challenges.
Keep your own content looking healthy by using Ikon's hand-picked image library when you’re talking about healthcare. Here are some of our favourite healthcare images and illustrations: they’re just what the doctor ordered.
Healthcare systems
Stock illustration credit Nick Lowndes
The National Health Service, or NHS, celebrates its 75th anniversary later this year. Publicly funded, NHS England employs 1.2 million people with an annual budget of over £190 billion, alongside NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care (HSC) Northern Ireland.
Stock illustration credit Matt Kenyon
Despite widespread public support during the pandemic, the NHS is facing some big challenges. The health service has been plagued by strikes since October 2022, with nurses, ambulance workers, and junior doctors all taking industrial action over pay, as well as concerns about staffing levels and burnout. Senior doctors will vote on strike action in late June. Meanwhile, official waiting lists for hospital treatment have reached record levels, and waits for ambulances and in A&E are long.
EU
Stock illustration credit Patrick George
While most European countries have universal healthcare, this is provided in several ways, encompassing a range of systems from the fully publicly-funded to statutory insurance models.
Despite these differences in delivery, the EU aims to work collaboratively to solve common healthcare challenges through the European Health Union. This builds on the collective power that emerged, in part, from the pandemic and its aftermath. Its key priorities include crisis preparedness, a pharmaceutical strategy, cancer, health data, and a global health strategy.
USA
Stock illustration credit Donna Grethen
The US healthcare system is a complex web, based on private insurance, employer-provided insurance and government programmes such as Medicare and Medicaid. In 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Dubbed 'Obamacare', the ACA expanded eligibility for Medicaid and overhauled the individual market for insurance, roughly halving the number of uninsured Americans.
However, the high cost of healthcare remains one of the biggest challenges in the US. Despite insurance, many still face high out-of-pocket costs, while being uninsured can be financially ruinous.
Wherever in the world you're working, you're sure to find the right stock healthcare images in Ikon's library to help capture the complexities and challenges in our healthcare systems.
Pandemics: Covid and beyond
Stock illustration credit Boris Semeniako
Earlier this month, the WHO declared that Covid is no longer a global health emergency. This is surely good news but, while the worst of the pandemic might be over, we’re still seeing the effects of the virus: Long Covid, continued infections and deaths, economic uncertainty, and the entrenchment of virtual ways of living and working.
Stock illustration credit Alice Mollon
Most experts agree that it’s not a matter of if but a matter of when the next pandemic will occur, but how prepared are we? As we await the outcome of official reports and inquiries into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO has recently launched a new initiative for pandemic preparedness. Meanwhile, researchers warn that we ignore the lessons learned during Covid at our peril.
This is one to be keeping a close eye on, and is sure to factor into your editorial content in the short term and beyond. Let Ikon’s stock illustrations catch your readers’ eye, too.
Pharmaceuticals
Stock illustration credit Donna Grethen
Pharmaceuticals are big business. With revenue of $1.4 trillion in 2021, the industry is projected to be worth $2.4 trillion by the end of the decade. From contraceptive pills, diabetes drugs, antidepressants and painkillers to name but a few, many people rely on medicines to treat a variety of conditions and lead their best life. In the US, over 66% of adults take regular prescription medication and in the UK and EU it is around 40-55%.
Stock illustration credit Doval
However, few industries – and certainly not one as large as pharmaceuticals – can be free from criticism. The UK government has raised concerns about overprescribing, finding 10% of medications may be unnecessary or even harmful to patients, while drugmakers and pharmacies have been blamed for their role in the ongoing opioid epidemic in North America. And it’s no surprise that the industry has also managed to attract several “Big Pharma” conspiracy theories over the years, covering everything from HIV/AIDS to cancer and, of course, Covid-19.
Treatments and Alternative Therapies
Stock illustration credit Emma Hanquist
Thanks to an increasing level of awareness of health and wellness, we have more access to and information about treatments and therapies than ever before. Some people look to other traditions, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, encompassing acupuncture, herbs, and tai chi, and the ancient Indian practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Others will seek out complementary treatments such as chiropractic, massage, or aromatherapy.
Stock illustration credit Montana Forbes
It’s worth noting, however, that there is a lot of debate about the efficacy of some alternative therapies. This, alongside the popularity and proliferation of online health gurus, means it’s a subject that people are sure to keep talking about. While we can’t promise that picture editors and art directors will find our catalogue as soothing as a lavender-scented bath, we can promise that it is full of the evocative stock images you need to complement your content.
All the vital signs are there: editorial illustrations, educational images, or corporate design, Ikon’s collection of stock illustrations will help keep your publication in good health.
Looking for a healthcare illustration?
Discover our wide selection of healthcare images. We have carefully selected 50 of our favourite illustrations on the subject of Healthcare. Click here to view this curated board of illustrations.
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