Posts

The Evolution of Healthcare: Integrating Lifestyle and Technology

Image
  The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions Age does not come alone is a commonly held belief. By mid-sixties many people are already on up to four medications, usually four chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol. Treatments for these conditions are available and take up a significant portion of clinical time in terms of monitoring and adjustment of medicines. They are also conditions where medical compliance is variable, as they are pretty much symptomless until a significant event occurs eg heart attack or stroke. More bizarrely perhaps is that people attend different appointments for different follow ups, meaning any one individual may go to their GP four times a year, just to make sure everything is in order. In parts this is perpetuated by a system that measures the frequency of these check ups to remunerate the surgeries. While this is seen as a preventative measure, it is al...

CAN WE REWARD HEALTH RATHER THAN PAY FOR ILLNESS?

Image
  Bridging Tech and Wellness: A Revolutionary Approach to Health Insurance Two things many people have are phone banking and car insurance. Years ago, using your phone to handle your finances was fraught with worries about safety and confidentiality. But now it is the norm to use smartphone apps to do most financial transactions and most people have confidence in the systems that protect them. Car insurance is mandatory, but the costs are offset by no claims bonuses or being monitored when a new driver. Why can’t we combine these commonly accepted practices to bring about a revolution in health care? With secure technology, worries around confidentiality can be easily assuaged. So how about insurance companies modifying their health plans to allow reductions or benefits in response to maintaining and/or improving personal health? With todays technology, alongside nearable and wearable sensors, people can get real time information about many aspects of their health and act on it acc...

Hopefully, One Day the Customer will know Best!

Image
Healthcare Evolution: From Clinical Trust to Self-Driven Care in a Digital Age While having a trusting relationship with a clinical professional remains central to health care, since the pandemic there are clear signs that people are more interested in their health and looking at ways to confidently manage and support themselves, without always needing to seek advice. Many apps support this wish, so now for many, consumerism is coming to health care, in a parallel way to how banking apps have changed the way people handle their finances. When they arrived people feared the loss of privacy and security. Now they are normal practice and writing a cheque is almost obsolete. Will people feel the same managing there own health data? The signs are good. People question and challenge clinicians more, using curated clinical tools and there own self collected data. Post pandemic, virtual visits, especially for routine checks are far more common. But whole scale acceptance of a consumer driven ...

Full Lifecycle Health Management: The Rise of Digital Self-Care

Image
  In the realm of sustainable practices, the concept of full lifecycle management has long been applied to products and energy carriers. This approach involves considering every stage of their existence, from extraction to disposal, to assess environmental impact and optimize cost-effectiveness. Drawing inspiration from this, we can extend the principles of full lifecycle management to human health. By adopting a comprehensive approach that encompasses prevention, early intervention, ongoing monitoring, and holistic well-being, digital self-care technologies are emerging as a cost-effective, fine and customized service alternative to optimize health outcomes and improve the quality of life at low cost. Understanding the Concept of Full Health Lifecycle Management As early as 1931, the concept of product life cycles and the need to manage them emerged. In 1957, an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton proposed a five-step life cycle model, starting with introduction, followed by growth, m...