a look at the evolution of the user interface in healthcare

A new model of user experience (UX) is rapidly evolving, popping up in smartphone and web applications everywhere. This model is referred to by a common term, “messaging” – but the simplicity of the name belies the extent of its impact. When we use apps like Facebook Messenger and Amazon Alexa, we’re taking part in a paradigm shift in how users interact with software. And what we’re witnessing in consumer technology today is likely to impact healthcare in the near future.

But first, to understand the current transformation, we must look back at milestones in UX past.

From printouts to trash cans

In early computing, the focus was solely on hardware: making computers smaller, faster, and more powerful. This changed in the 1970’s with the advent of text-based interfaces. No longer relying on punch cards and printouts helped the industry to transcend the existing paradigm and shift focus to include the user interface (UI).

Building off of this progress, in the late 1980s the software world underwent yet another profound shift with the advent of graphical user interfaces (GUIs). These “virtual desktops” had frames (windows) to organize and visualizations of graphical elements. They introduced color, fonts and iconography. And let’s not forget the trash can!

Just as text-based interfaces had done before, GUIs transcended computing evolution. Whether you used PC or Mac, desktop or mobile, native app or Internet browser, a GUI was there. Out of necessity, the interface of every app was completely reworked and reimagined to fit the new paradigm. This is what paradigm shifts do: Force everyone to reimagine their approach to everything.

Conversational user interface is the new UI

Nearly three decades later, we’re seeing the beginning of the next major shift: messaging apps, or conversational user interfaces (CUIs).

A CUI is an interface in which a range of tasks are executed within the confines of what most users would recognize as a chat interface, rather than in separate frames. What are the advantages of a CUI over the interfaces we’ve used for decades?

Simplicity: Say what you need and get information. Rather than navigating menus, sub-menus, forms, and search results, the user simply states what she wants. No training, no getting lost.

Ubiquity Use one messaging app as an interface to many services. Rather than downloading, installing, and registering an account with a new app, the user leverages an existing messaging app, or even SMS (texting).

Seamless Control Type, talk, listen. Why type when you can talk? Why read a screen when you can listen while doing something else? A CUI can be seamless.

In this paradigm, the interface trends towards non-existence – it blends into what the user is doing. The best app, the best form, or the best navigation becomes none at all.

CUIs are a natural extension of the previous shifts in UI. In each case, applications became easier to use and accessible for a broader population, and simultaneously more powerful as they took advantage of new opportunities. The same is true of CUIs. Some of the new frontiers being explored already include Natural Language Processing (software understanding of written language), voice-to-text, SMS and voice “gateway services” (ubiquitous services available to application development teams), and auto-response frameworks (“chat-bots”).

Messaging apps in healthcare

The advantages of a CUI have serious potential for health care, but the transition will not be easy. Challenges for adoption of messaging apps in healthcare include HIPAA compliance, the ability to integrate with existing health IT systems, and the highly contextual nature of health care conversations as compared with other industries. Plus, popular messaging interfaces like Facebook Messenger are not feasible in a healthcare setting, and SMS is convenient but inflexible. Suffice it to say that messaging apps will need to be significantly augmented, or built anew, to suit the unique purposes of health care.

That said, the opportunities in a healthcare setting for secure messaging within care teams are compelling. Nearly all of the opportunities involve greater engagement with patients themselves or their caregivers.

The quest for increased efficiencies in healthcare will not subside anytime soon. Be ready for secure messaging apps to steadily work their way into healthcare in the coming years, just as they proliferate in our daily lives as consumers.

Source

dreamit health announces new accelerator class of eight health tech startups

Health technology accelerator Dreamit Health has announced its latest class of startups – a global selection of eight early stage digital health companies working on a range of health innovations including security of medical IoT and clinical workflow updates to app-based patient support groups. This marks the accelerator’s 22nd cohort and its fifth year in partnership with Penn Medicine and Independence Blue Cross.

The accelerator, which launched in 2012 alongside incubator Dreamit Ventures and announced its first class in April 2013, focuses on companies from multiple aspects of digital health who have already raised some seed funding and demonstrated a nuanced understanding of what it takes to operate in healthcare. Many are actively running pilots at places including Penn Medicine, Mount Sinai, and Merck, and competition is robust: just 3 percent of final applicants were accepted into this latest cycle.

“Our team has engineered an accelerator to serve the needs of healthcare startups selling to enterprise customers.” Dreamit CEO Avi Savar said in a statement. “The Dreamit program shortens the sales cycle for startups and creates momentum that leads to more customers, which in turn leads to a much higher rate of raising follow on rounds of financing. Selling to health enterprise is about relationships, and Dreamit helps startups build bonds with healthcare executives in a very condensed time."

Indeed, forming tight bonds and maximizing a jam-packed schedule are the hallmarks of the accelerator. The program starts with six weeks of working closely with Dreamit managing directors to refine each startup’s business model and build up to the next round of funding. Then, participants engage in two weeks of face-to-face customer immersions wherein they pitch and receive feedback from healthcare organizations around the country. Pilots are a frequent development from this portion of the program, and planned immersions include AARP, DuPont, Accenture, and Independence Blue Cross. The program ends with a two-week, bi-coastal investor roadshow.

“We believe that it’s critical to invest our resources, energy, and expertise in helping cultivate a thriving innovative health care community, and we are excited to welcome this diverse group of talented and passionate entrepreneurs,” Independence Blue Cross President and CEO Daniel J. Hilferty said in a statement. “Dreamit provides a structured and dynamic environment for these young companies to meet and learn from industry experts who can help them turn budding ideas into real-life, workable solutions. We are proud to continue our successful partnership with Penn Medicine and Dreamit Health.”

Dreamit Health used to take an 8 percent equity stake in its accelerator companies, but last year began offering the option for startups to keep their equity if they do not accept cash from the program. The accelerator offers no upfront investment and takes no upfront equity, but has the option to invest up to $500,000 in a startup's next round. The startups have access to a host of other benefits: free workspace, mentorship, legal advice and counsel, and access to healthcare personnel at Penn Medicine and Independence.

Here are the eight startups for Dreamit Health’s spring 2017 cycle:

Tine Health makes a mobile platform for nurses that serves as guide to medical devices and procedures, with the aim of reducing medical errors. The company designs training content for each device, then affixes the device with a scannable smart sticker. Before beginning a procedure, nurses scan the sticker with a smartphone and get a training video designed as a quick refresher, reinforcing what they have learned in the classroom, as well as tracking use of the device.

Marmo Health, a UK-based startup, is developing a mobile messaging app that provides coaching and personalized peer groups for patient support and behavior change.

Irish startup Bluedrop Medical is working on a device for people with diabetes to remotely monitor for foot ulcers. The cloud-based device uses an algorithm to perform a scan for abnormalities and connect the patient with faster treatment.

Citus Health is working to eliminate the middleman of call centers in home healthcare through its workflow automation and remote patient support platform.

Cybersecurity company Cylera uses machine learning to protect medical devices for healthcare organizations.

Biorealize is working on its Microbial Design Studio, a countertop biofabfrication machine that allows biologists to design, culture and test genetically modified organisms for biotech applications.

Group K Diagnostics offers a modular testing system designed to be used at the point of care. It can run multiple tests and provides results via a smartphone or desktop app.

Kaizen Health is working to help patients get rides to and from healthcare providers, with a platform to connect health systems and different transportation organizations, including Lyft.

Source

acp: what's new in mhealth

SAN DIEGO -- Patients and clinicians looking to mobile applications to support weight loss and heart health goals face a deluge of dubious options. One physician and "mHealth" expert highlighted a handful of the more promising candidates at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting here on Friday.

There are an estimated 260,000 mHealth apps as of 2016 -- a 57% increase from 2015, according to Research2Guidance, a consultant for mobile app companies, said Rajesh Patel, MD, MPH, associate chief medical information officer and a hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

But the explosion of mHealth apps is outpacing the research community's ability to vet them, said Patel.

And the FDA's "tailored risk-based approach" means that most of these apps don't fall under the agency's purview, he added. Only apps considered to be an "accessory to a regulated medical device" or those that can transform into such a device (i.e., electronic stethoscopes and glucometers) are evaluated by the agency.

Signs Point to 'No'

Patel said that according to what little research is available on apps that promote weight loss and physical activity, the majority do not leverage evidence-based strategies.

For example, a 2013 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which analyzed 30 weight loss apps, including some of the most popular -- LoseIt, LiveStrong, and MyFitnessPal -- found that most incorporated less than 15%-20% of behavioral strategies from evidence-based weight loss programs such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

A separate study from the Journal of Medical Internet Research published in 2016, which looked at 393 weight loss apps and evaluated them based on 10 agreed-upon strategies for weight-loss from obesity experts (e.g., goal-setting, personalized feedback, and social support) found that only 4% included even half of the strategies.

"Commercial mobile apps for weight loss/management lack important evidence-based features, do not involve healthcare experts in their development process, and have not undergone rigorous scientific testing," the study authors concluded.

But, Patel asked, does using clinician-vetted strategies really matter?

A third study, a meta-analysis of 12 studies of mobile phone apps' impact on weight loss and physical activity, also published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, found no difference in physical activity, but there was a "significant reduction" in the pooled results for weight loss and BMI over the study period. Yet, the absolute difference in weight loss -- 1.04 kg over a roughly 3-6 month stretch -- and the BMI reduction of 0.43 points did not impress Patel, he said.

Hope for Overweight Patients

But the news is not all bad. Patel also highlighted a study of the Prevent app, published by Diabetes Educator, which examines the impact of transforming the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) into an online social network. The core online program lasted 16 weeks and included four components:

a peer group matched by age, location, and body mass index

a coach trained in the DPP curriculum

a tracking mechanism

weekly lesson plans

Lessons were divided into monthly phases, and participants received different tools in the mail at the start of each phase, including a pedometer, a digital scale, and a photo frame for motivational purposes. Participants were given the option of continuing a "post-core lifestyle change maintenance intervention," after 16 weeks, bringing the total length of the extended program to 12 months.

Instead of a randomized controlled trial, the study measured the online program against the standards of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Diabetes Prevention and Recognition Program (DPRP) which set a 5.0% weight loss benchmark.

After 16 weeks, 68% of the 187 participants finished the program and hit the 5.0% weight loss benchmark, with most maintaining a 4.8% weight loss after 12 months -- a reduction of about 12.2 and 11.6 pounds, respectively. At the end of both the core and post-care phase of the program, 50% of participants "met or exceeded" the 5.0% weight loss benchmark.

Following the study, the program was commercialized by Omada Health, reportedly the largest app-based CDC-recognized DPP provider.

Curbing Hypertension

Patel also spotlighted another study: a randomized controlled trial of an online intervention for hypertension, published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management.

A small study from Massachusetts General Hospital involved 44 patients randomized either to an experimental group using an app known as CollaboRhythm, or to a traditional coaching model. All patients' systolic/diastolic blood pressure was measured over 12 weeks.

The CollaboRhythm app leveraged visualization tools to help patients track their treatments and assess blood pressure measurements at a set time each day. The tools included personalized decision support intended to enhance self-efficacy and encourage patients to make "collaborative decisions," with health coaches offering support.

The traditional coaching model used an integrated care management approach; a nurse educator sent regular follow-up messages by email, text, or phone and arranged visits to assess changes in blood pressure.

Source

little to show for proliferation of apps in the health industry

Over the last decade, Kenya has seen a proliferation of mobile apps aimed at tackling various health challenges.

But at the same time, the impact of a majority of these m-health innovations is yet to be fully felt.

“We know that there are all manner of apps out there. But we need to ensure that they are really benefitting the patient,” Mr Onesmus Kimani, the head of e-health at the Ministry of Health (MoH) told the Business Daily. He noted that the government was working on a soon to be launched e-health policy whichwill guide innovations in the sector while ensuring that they are patient centred.

Dr James Mwanzia, a Nairobi based health systems consultant, said that technology is now an integral component of all development sectors and should thus be fully embraced.

Compared to the economic sector where mobile money apps like M-Pesa are thriving, he regreted that the health sector is lagging behind yet it has a direct impact on people’s lives. “But we are beginning to make in-roads in this area, so people shouldn’t give up. They may be sitting on a revolution like M-Pesa!” Dr Mwanzia stated that for health apps to be successful, there is a need for continuous data collection on the preferences and concerns of people using the platforms.

Whereas most apps can automatically generate data on user trends, he noted that having a customer care service or call centre is necessary to get more indepth information.

“It’s from such feedback mechanisms that you identify problems that need to be addressed so as to improve the performance of an app.”

Source

millennials and money: healthcare trends

With a purchasing power of over $200 billion annually, millennials are more than economic influencers: They drive trends based on their spending. The healthcare industry is no exception. Here are five trends that illustrate how millennials are shaping the healthcare market.

The rise of quick care

According to a survey conducted by Communispace, only 56 percent of millennials reported that they had visited a primary care physician in the last year, compared to 74 percent of non-millennials. Efficiency and convenience are at the heart of the millennial shopping experience. According to HIT Consultant, millennials are going to retail clinics (34 percent) and acute care clinics (24 percent) to save time. In response, the number of retail and urgent care locations is exploding. According to the Convenient Care Association, the number of retail care clinics has risen by 127 percent since 2010. First stop: the World Wide Web

The huge amount of medical information available online has driven advice-seeking millennials to the internet. Communispace reported that about half of millennials research symptoms and treatments online before consulting a doctor. And of those, 27 percent will self-treat at home and never set foot in a physician’s office. Millennials are also using the internet to find the best doctor for them. A survey conducted by Nuance Communications found that 54 percent of millennial responders use online reviews to find a doctor before scheduling an appointment. Preventative apps

For millennials, health and fitness apps are some of the most motivating and convenient ways to invest in personal health, according to Communispace. More than 27 percent of those surveyed used a health and fitness app or a wearable health device, far outpacing the 12 percent of older generations. According to IDC, although the popularity of wearable tech has slowed, the industry is still growing by around 3 percent per year. Costs keeping from care

According to a survey conducted by Transamerica Center for Health Studies, millennials cite affordability as the number one determinant in selecting their healthcare plan. More than half of millennials, according to HIT Consultant, say that they delayed or avoided in-person treatment due to costs. In comparison, only 18 percent of seniors and 27 percent of Baby Boomers reported the same reasons for avoiding medical care Medical marketing

Doctors and traditional medical offices are turning to technology in an effort to attract new patients. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, nearly 90 percent of physicians are using mobile devices to engage patients. Healthcare brands that want to reach the millennial demographic are marketing to prospective patients as they would to retail customers. National conferences, like the Doctor’s Guide for Marketing to Millennials have become more popular as they focus on changing marketing strategies in the age of technology.

Source

here’s how telehealth tools help hearing health professionals improve patient care

New technology is constantly being developed to improve our ability to diagnose, treat, and care for a variety of medical conditions. One up-and-coming technology trend is telehealth. Some of the telehealth tools that we have already seen include services that enable video conferencing between doctors and patients, and apps that assist in patient care. In the field of hearing care, such tools also improve healthcare delivery for both patients and service providers.

TeleHealth tools save time for professionals and patients

It is common practice in hearing care to bundle the cost of consultations and service provision into the price of the hearing aid. As such, follow-up and fine-tuning appointments after hearing aid sales are often free of charge. Dedicated telehealth tools like texting apps offer a secure platform for patients and hearing care professionals (HCPs) to easily communicate and problem-solve in a few minutes without an office visit. Hearing telehealth apps can even allow HCPs to remotely adjust the hearing aids’ settings. This is convenient for the patient, but also saves the HCP valuable appointment time.

Telehealth apps can also contain simple instructional videos, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides so that patients have the information readily available to them on their smartphone. This way, they can often easily solve their problems before contacting the HCP and feel empowered with greater confidence in their new hearing experience.

Telehealth apps help hearing care professionals widen their reach

Telehealth apps can bring patients and HCPs closer than ever before. With a reduced number of necessary in-office appointments eliminated by in-app messaging and calls, and remote hearing aid tuning features, HCPs can attract patients who live physically farther away, and are therefore less inclined to make repeated trips to the office. Similarly, they can provide services to less mobile patients who may be house-bound or live in care facilities.

Telehealth enables patient satisfaction monitoring

Patients buying new hearing aids typically have a two- to four-week home trial period before making the final purchase decision. Patient satisfaction during this time is crucial to the ultimate adoption of hearing aids. Unfortunately, this is also typically a “blind spot” for HCPs, because with the patient out of their office, they are not physically present to answer question and provide guidance when problems arise.

Telehealth apps for hearing aids allow wearers to rate their daily satisfaction. Apps can assign various listening activities for the patient to complete, such as “have dinner at a noisy restaurant” or “listen to music”, and then ask the patient to rate their satisfaction with the hearing aids in those situations. Satisfaction ratings are sent to HCP via the app, so that the latter can actively intervene to address patient concerns in a timely manner without waiting until the next follow-up appointment.

Telehealth apps serve as a practice differentiator

The hearing care industry is a competitive field. Patients can choose from independent hearing care practices, those affiliated with physicians, hearing aid dispensing chains, “big box” wholesale stores, or even bypass the HCP altogether and choosing an amplification product online or “off the shelf.”

One of the ways a hearing care professional can stand out from the crowd is by offering exceptional service. With in-app text and call features, telehealth apps promise potential patients access to the hearing care professional’s expertise and guidance even outside of regular office hours, the convenience of fewer in-office visits, and in-app usage and troubleshooting information. These advantages can be promoted as a part of the “white glove service” that HCPs can leverage to promote their practice.

Telehealth tools are good for business

Telehealth tools can help HCPs generate revenue in more than one way. First of all, time is money. By reducing the number of follow-up visits, telehealth apps help free up more time for professionals to attend to revenue-generating tasks, such as diagnostics or new patient fittings. And the increasing number of younger, tech-savvy, and smartphone-dependent patients with hearing loss will be attracted to HCPs who offer conveniences like telehealth apps.

Ultimately, patient satisfaction leads to business success. By being able to monitor patient satisfaction with their new hearing aids during their home trial period, and intervene quickly when problems and doubts arise, professionals can use telehealth apps to minimize barriers that otherwise result in hearing aid returns.

Although there are smartphone apps now that help us with almost every aspect of our lives, telehealth tools that use such technology are still relatively new to the hearing care profession. As they become increasingly powerful and popular, we can expect them to bring even more benefits to patients and hearing care professionals in the future.

Source

how apps and ai technologies can improve communication in the healthcare industry

In 2014, an event occurred that forever transformed online communication. For the first time ever, mobile internet use became more common than PC/desktop browsing. Simply put, more people began to use mobile devices to connect with businesses, organizations and the healthcare industry.

In the healthcare industry, one of the keys to success for any hospital is its ability to communicate with patients, doctors and other stakeholders. How can the use of cutting-edge technology improve these communication processes? Let’s find out.

Unleashing New Innovations In Communication Via Apps

How much time and money do medical practices and hospitals spend on communicating with patients about lab results, appointments and care messages? Perhaps the more important question is, what happens when these communications fail?

As the population becomes more connected, people value being able to address their medical concerns using apps. Confidence in apps has certainly grown by leaps and bounds in the retail sector, with nearly 50% of all purchases being made on a mobile device.

If we take a cue from the Mayo Clinic, we can see how powerful apps can be in regard to healthcare.The Mayo Clinic provides an app to patients that: Offers healthy living advice; Provides appointment requests; Delivers lab and X-ray results; and Supports doctor office-patient messaging.

Traditionally, the amount of human labor associated with these tasks could be tremendous. Imagine how much more efficient office staff could be if freed from performing these chores. Furthermore, we can envision how care improves with automated communication: Calls and information are susceptible to becoming botched by human error, while apps can provide a running log of all activity so there’s no question as to whether or not communication occurred.

In the past, having a website was an adequate online presence. The next step was to make sure your site was mobile friendly: If users could not read your web content on their smartphone, many potential contacts were lost. The next logical step is being able to interact fully with your audience via apps.

In addition to the Mayo Clinic, apps like these have been embraced by leading institutions such Massachusetts General Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, UCLA and many others. The trend is likely to continue as these early adopters continue to gain a distinct competitive advantage.

This move toward increased digitalization is not reserved strictly for the largest healthcare centers. In fact, app development can be customized at an affordable cost for nearly any size hospital, medical center or multi-physician practice.

Source