Digital Health Tools

As a physician and advocate, I've seen the stark realities of healthcare inequality up close. It's a multifaceted challenge, deeply rooted in socioeconomic disparities, systemic barriers, and historical injustices. Yet, it's not insurmountable. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the collective will to forge a more equitable future in healthcare. The path forward involves a holistic approach: 1️⃣Embrace Preventative Care: Early intervention can prevent conditions from escalating into serious diseases. Community-based health education and accessible preventative services are key. 2️⃣Expand Telehealth: Telehealth can transcend geographic and transportation barriers, making healthcare accessible for all, but we must ensure it's equitably deployed. 3️⃣Diversify the Healthcare Workforce: A workforce that reflects the diversity of the population it serves can improve patient outcomes and trust. 4️⃣Advocate for Policy Change: Systemic change is essential. We need policies that ensure universal healthcare access and tackle the social determinants of health. Change won't happen overnight, but each step brings us closer to a healthcare system defined by its inclusivity and equity. Let's work together to make healthcare a right, not a privilege. #HealthcareEquity #SystemicChange #PreventativeCare #Telehealth #DiversityInMedicine #PolicyChange

"First wave" companies like Talkspace democratized therapy— making mental health services more accessible and affordable. "Second wave" companies like Alma shifted focus towards supporting clinicians, providing them with resources to navigate administrative hurdles and focus on patient care. So, where are we headed for the "third wave"? Here are some strategic shifts we might anticipate: 🔵 Decentralization of Care: The third wave could redefine who provides care. By leveraging peer support and fostering community-based healing, mental health care could come from multiple sources, not just traditional therapists. 🔵 Community Empowerment: Instead of focusing solely on individual care, third wave companies might equip communities with the tools to care for one another. This shift recognizes that mental health is both a personal and communal concern. 🔵 Holistic Health Ecosystems: These companies could aim to be part of a larger health ecosystem, bridging the gap between physical and mental health, and facilitating better interaction between different healthcare providers. 🔵 Empowerment through Education: The third wave might prioritize mental health literacy. By empowering people with knowledge, they can take an active role in their own mental health journey and support those around them. The "third wave" of mental health tech is on the horizon, and I for one am here for it. #MentalHealth #HealthTech #FutureOfTherapy

Sportstech is transforming practice, performance, and injury prevention. • In Q2’23, sportstech startups added $1.6B in funding, with M&A deals worth $14.5B. • 31 sportstech funds raised $4B+ in the past 12 months. • The sports analytics market will grow from $2.1B to $16.5B this decade. Leveraging AI to decode fitness, recovery, injury risk, nutrition, and more — athletes are pushing the boundaries of performance. • Analytics platforms like Catapult and STATSports arm coaches with real-time insight. • Smart patches from Nix Biosensors and Supersapiens measure hydration and metabolic health. • ORRECO uses rapid biomarker testing for player diagnostics, while its FitrWoman provides cycle-informed training for female athletes. • Kitman Labs contextualizes player data for orgs across the NFL, NBA, and English Premier League. • VALD equips teams and military operators with force plates, blood flow restriction cuffs, and movement assessments. • DEXA scans and whole-body MRIs from companies like Springbok Analytics map bone density, body composition, and musculoskeletal health. And the list goes on… No longer a nice-to-have, new tech is redefining what it means to build a championship team. And for athletes, franchises, and leagues alike, embracing innovation will be key to staying competitive. Read the full report ⬇️ 💌 Presented by Jack Taylor

Technology – can be a barrier or a bridge to #inclusion and #accessibility for disabled people. Had the chance to moderate a great discussion on this topic with Wendy Adams from Sorenson, Christopher Grous from TextHelp and Sena Pottackal, MS from Current Global hosted by Disability:IN. Each gave strategic and practical advice for individuals and companies looking to build a more inclusive, accessible workforce. Some of the learning: - Get educated. Training is crucial starting with basics like disability etiquette. Then how to leverage technology build an accessible marketing campaign and more. Most are virtual and take less than an hour to get going e.g. Fundamentals: https://lnkd.in/eC6HT3dC - Accommodations. Technology is crucial for disabled employees, but the process of asking for it can be hard. Every company needs to make this as easy, quick as possible. - Research. Some great research out there to help with understanding the landscape around accessibility. Sena shared this great piece from UK last year: https://lnkd.in/e4AHzaEj - Communication. Takes many forms. Disability is diverse! Wendy talked about the importance of direct video for the deaf, Chris, why read aloud is important to neurodiverse and Sena, screen readers for the blind. Building your meeting and content so people can use it in whatever way works best for them - that's inclusion. - Build it in! The quickest, smartest and most cost-effective way is to build in accessibility right from the start. Use principles of inclusive design. Whether it’s a building, an email, image, or a piece of code. If tackling inaccessible content, there are some great tools you can use to help prioritise the work ahead. - If in doubt, reach out. Chris said this and it made me smile. Its so true! If you don’t know where to start.. ask. As to the future: AI was the hot topic! Couldn’t agree more. AI has to be accessible by design, and empower everyone – especially people with disabilities to be more productive. Time to get back to making that a reality. Thanks Disability:IN, Emily and Russell our fantastic hosts. And Sena, Wendy and Chris for so many learnings and a great conversation!

The Dawn of a New Era in Healthcare: WHO Introduces SARAH In an age where digital transformation is revolutionizing every aspect of our lives, healthcare is no exception. On April 3, 2024, ahead of World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in digital health promotion: SARAH (Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health). This innovative digital assistant fosters healthy habits and offers crucial health information, leveraging the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI). SARAH: A Milestone in AI-Powered Healthcare SARAH represents a significant leap forward from traditional health information avatars. Utilizing cutting-edge language models and technology, SARAH offers 24/7 interaction in eight different languages across any device. This level of accessibility and flexibility underscores WHO's commitment to making health information universally available, embodying this year's World Health Day motto, "My Health, My Right." Empowering Healthier Lifestyles SARAH's capabilities extend beyond mere information dissemination. By addressing major health topics, including mental health and healthy living, SARAH aims to guide individuals on their journey to optimal wellness. Particularly, SARAH can enlighten users about risk factors for major diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, offering actionable advice on quitting smoking, staying active, and stress management. Beyond Technology: A Vision for Equitable Healthcare WHO's initiative showcases technological prowess and envisions a future where everyone can access up-to-date, reliable health information. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasizes the digital future of health and calls for collaborative research to further harness AI's potential while addressing ethical considerations such as privacy, security, and equity. SARAH and the Future As SARAH evolves, continuously learning and adapting through generative AI, it sets a precedent for how technology can ethically and effectively support public health initiatives. This project builds on the legacy of Florence, SARAH's predecessor, which played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The introduction of SARAH by WHO marks a pivotal moment in healthcare, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in enhancing health education and promoting preventive measures against diseases. It is a clarion call to developers, policymakers, and healthcare providers to prioritize ethical considerations in AI development, ensuring that the benefits of such technology are accessible to all. As we embrace this digital health revolution, let's engage in meaningful discussions on how AI can continue to innovate healthcare, making it more inclusive and effective for everyone, everywhere. Please share this with your colleagues Harvey Castro, MD, MBA. #DigitalHealth #AIInHealthcare #PublicHealthInnovation #SARAH #WorldHealthDay #WHO #HealthcareTechnology #DrGPT

This week on BackTable Innovation: Diana Velazquez-Pimentel and Eric J. Keller interview Dr. Dafydd Loughran, CEO and founder of Concentric Health, a digital health solution that's revolutionizing the process of consent and facilitating informed decisions through digital tools.   Dafydd’s idea for Concentric originated from his experiences at an orthopedic clinic in his second postgraduate year. At that time, he found himself faced with the challenge of obtaining patient consent, all while still developing his knowledge and skills as a recent medical school graduate. He developed an aid memoir of the risks and benefits of different procedures to add value to the conversations with his patients. Dafydd continued to add to his resource, digitalize it, and before long, his colleagues began requesting access and utilization of it. Dafydd built a team and applied for a grant which was accepted.    Today Concentric is a platform that supports conversations on shared decision making between clinicians and patients. It allows patients to better understand procedures by providing clear and detailed information from written information to videos and animations. Clinicians can select a procedure and personalize the content to their patient to make a template that includes indications for the procedure, alternatives therapies, and risk profiles. Patients can view this information before their scheduled consultations with their provider, allowing a more meaningful conversation and for the patient to have more time with the information given. As shown in Dafydd’s research studies, 28% of patients reported gold standard shared decision-making using the old paper process compared to 72% with the Concentric digitalized form, highlighting the impact of collaboration used in this technology.    Concentric services have been utilized across many medical specialties, with a central focus on actively engaging patients in the decision-making process by delivering relevant and well-informed information. Listen below to learn more! #medEd #digitalhealth #innovationinhealthcare #collaborativelearning #podcast Enio Perez, MD, MPH Eric Gantwerker MD MMSc (MedEd) FACS AFAMEE Bryan Hartley, MD Gopi Shah MD Christopher Beck Quynh-Anh "Anh" Dang Quynh-Chi (Chi) Dang Elliot Street Babylon David Canes Dr. Jose E Silva Mark R. Hoffman, MD Peder Horner Isabel Newton the Interventional Initiative Charles Martin Stephen Hunt, MTR, MD, PhD, FSIR Jeffrey Chick Mina Makary https://lnkd.in/eWd8_RNr

Here are three themes that stood out to me in our newly released Future Health Index 2024 report – and my take on what they signify for the future of healthcare:   1. Automation can help relieve staff shortages, if used right   📊 What we found: a vast majority (92%) of healthcare leaders believe that automation of repetitive tasks and processes is critical for addressing staff shortages, but they also face skepticism from staff about automation.   👉 My take: We must always innovate backward from the needs of physicians. Used right, automation is not about replacing their skills – it’s about liberating them from tedious work they shouldn’t be doing in the first place.   2. Virtual care can extend the reach of patient care   📊 What we found: almost 9 in 10 healthcare leaders (89%) are seeing a positive impact of virtual care in easing staff shortages in their organization. 👉 My take: Remote patient monitoring will only continue to grow, especially post-operatively. The sooner you can send a patient home, while closely monitoring their health, the better. It offers patients a better experience. It frees up hospital capacity for the next patient. And it also creates new career paths for experienced staff, such as virtual nursing.   3. Leaders are embracing AI while also calling for appropriate safeguards   📊 In-hospital patient monitoring is the area where healthcare leaders have already implemented AI the most (43%), and in the next three years, their biggest focus is on implementing AI in remote patient monitoring (41%). At the same time, they are also calling for a measured approach to AI, expressing concerns about possible data bias. 👉 My take: We’ve moved beyond the point where AI was considered a threat. Clinicians have come to realize that AI can actually reduce a lot of friction in the processes they run. But as with all innovation in healthcare, it needs to be evidence-driven, and AI also requires guardrails for responsible use. 👇 Check out the full blogpost

A recent study published in JAMA Open Network demonstrates the potential of AI chatbots, like Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s GPT-4, to simplify complex pathology reports, making them more comprehensible for patients. These AI-driven tools are able to interpret medical jargon and present the information in a more patient-friendly manner while maintaining high levels of accuracy. The study found that these chatbots significantly improved the readability of pathology reports, with GPT-4 achieving an impressive 97.44% accuracy rate. This advancement could transform patient engagement and understanding, ensuring that individuals are better informed about their health conditions. Key Insights: Improved Readability 📖 - AI chatbots enhance the readability of pathology reports, making them accessible to patients. High Accuracy 🎯 - GPT-4 demonstrated 97.44% accuracy in simplifying medical reports. Enhanced Patient Engagement 🤝 - Simplified reports help patients understand their health conditions better. Error Reduction 🛡️ - Ensures that medical information is accurately conveyed, reducing misunderstandings. Future Potential 🚀 - Paves the way for broader applications of AI in patient education and communication. https://buff.ly/4eiTAXh

Article on the use of wearables and improvements to health - yes, it works but it doesn't work equally. 'The new analysis looked at 19 studies that tested whether things like text messages, web-based prompts, or wearable step trackers could nudge people to increase their levels of physical activity. Across all of the studies, the behavioral tools were not effective for people with low socioeconomic status, even when they worked well for wealthier people. That pattern held across every type of approach tested.' The wearable devices and most of the consumer focused digital health apps are marketed to those who can pay for it. It then trickles down to those who can exercise, improve their nutrition, afford the care and medications required. The authors suggest that public health advocates and researchers to address this gap as it won't come from companies needing to consider profits. This is a realistic although depressing thought. Advocates cannot change the market and so we will fall (further) behind. Some of the reimbursement codes for devices (RPM) will help have insurance pay for these devices, which can aid in chronic disease and in a more equitable way. If we paid for consumer driven decisions or physicians could prescribe these devices, that might help. It is worth taking a chance on this as we have some data on improvements with digital health tools. And for the researchers, having more patients using it can lead to more data. Which is a win for patients, clinicians and the companies. #technology #healthliteracy #behaviorchange #digitalhealth #devices #medicaldevices #wearables #telehealth #rpm https://lnkd.in/eZbf2wgy

Did you know that digital tools offer great promise for maternal health empowerment? In fact, our recent Maternal Health and Digital Tools Survey found that 70% of women who had a pregnancy in the last two years were using digital tools to address specific health care needs, from scheduling an appointment to managing weight and nutrition. However, racial inequities are holding back their full potential. Our survey found that racially and ethnically diverse respondents were 2x as likely to say that digital tools for maternal health were not suited to their personal needs or their cultural backgrounds. Reducing costs, improving health system integration, involving users in the tool design, and simplifying the range of solutions available are ways to help make digital tools more accessible. Thank you Heather M. Nelson, Margaret Punch, Jay Bhatt, Mani Keita Fakeye, PhD, and Christine D. Chang for collaborating with me on this purposeful and impactful research. https://deloi.tt/3vGfy4N #HealthEquity #MaternalHealth #HealthCare #Deloitte