I’m the type of person that dares to dream. So, in this time defined by simple patient messaging and health records sharing, I wonder what a future defined by the capture of health behavior data would look like. I do very much believe that we are moving towards a future where we use this health behavior data and incorporate it directly into the medical record. We can then use this unstructured data in remarkable ways. For example, I recently learned that a hospital was able to make significant quality improvements by simply uncovering that a group of patients that were not responding to treatment as well as the others in the sample group all lived in the same zip code. Apparently, this particular zip code was lacking in attributes of care coordination available to other patients and that this made all of the difference. That was only the zip code. Imagine the value of data like:
- Use of rescue medications
- Self-reported asthma triggers
- Fitbit measures per mile of physical activity
- Self reported stress level using the Likert scale
- Self reported sleep activity using the Likert scale
- Google Health test results
- Phone calls made and received
- Mind Garden caregiver Perceived Stress Scale
Thus far, we are just barely grasping the significance of consumer behavior data and the very important role that online, social, and mobile mechanisms will play. In fact, these tools are primed to become big healthcare disruptors. So, how do we do it?
Creating technologies that acknowledge and respect the patient experience
With 85% US adult adoption of cellphones, the answer mostly lies in mobile health. We have the potential to revolutionize the data we collect by creating self-tracking tools that are not just another thing patients need to build into their schedule. Instead, we need to utilize the patient user experience to make it easier to complete self-tracking tasks these patients are already doing.
Want to hear some news that makes this dreamer very sad? The data is already there and it is not being captured. According to a Pew study, currently two-thirds of self-trackers do not share their data with anyone. Of the 1/3 that does share that data, only half say they share that data with their clinician. Why? It’s simple. There is no mechanism for this data exchange.
So, with just T-minus 2 weeks until HIMSS, let’s keep these conversations going. What dream do you dream for Health IT?
