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Future of Consumer Healthcare

Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, Course DirectorTufts University School of Medicine

July 20, 2012

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“The internet saved my life”

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It isn’t easy to find pictures of bat’s teeth

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“Armed” with information, Diana educated the people who treated her

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e-patient Dave

• “Nothing beats a smart partner who listens to you and wants you to do well.”

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Janice Adams: “I asked our doctor if I should look something up on the Internet and he said, ‘No. Come and ask me; it’s too frightening if you read the wrong things.’ And we do.”

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Volker Wulf: “My sister is a doctor.”

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Scott Bateman and Adrian Reetz

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Scott’s feet

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Anja Habas-Korbar: “It was easier to get information from the Internet than from doctors… being in pain is motivating.”

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Lynda’s story

• Lynda has vertigo– “I go online all the time”– My specialists don’t talk to each other• Ear, nose, and throat doesn’t talk to allergist

– My specialists have blinders• Impact of seasonal allergies

– I’m not alone - others have it worse

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Nancy Flournoi: “I looked up side effects for my husband’s medication and one was ‘stops breathing’. The doctor didn’t bother to tell him that.”

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Ron Perkins: “I don’t find credible sources. Maybe they’re all sponsored by the drug companies?”

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What is typical health information seeking behavior?

• Is it Diana?• Is it Dave?• Is it Janice?• Is it Scott?• Is it Anja?• Is it Lynda?• Is it Nancy?• Is it Ron?

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People’s use of the online health information for themselves or others

• Triggers– Different reasons– Different contexts

• People use– Obsessively to rarely or never

• People bring– Different skills– Different needs– Different health literacy skills

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Some commonalities

• People generally look on their own• Common triggers– Pain– Economic– Immediacy– Determine if doctor needed– Learn what doctor didn’t say– Learn what others have done

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Healthcare is changing• Potential to fundamentally change healthcare– Concierge medicine– Shared medical (or group) appointments– Walk-in clinics– Telehealth– Home visits

• Use of the internet for healthcare directly impacts far more people today than EHRs– But that’s where $$$ are spent

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Easy to have eye contact with a barista

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Technology can get in the way

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Patients

TechnologyPhysicians

Idealistic scenario

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Technology can be a partner

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Patient centeredness - AHRQ• Patient centeredness

– Healthcare that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families

– To ensure that decisions respect patients' wants, needs, and preferences

– Patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate fully

• Patient-centered care – Encourages patients to comply with treatment regimens– Can reduce the chance of misdiagnosis due to poor communication– Has been shown to reduce underuse/overuse of medical services– Can reduce the strain on system resources and save money by

reducing the number of diagnostic tests and referrals– Can sometimes increases providers' costs, especially in the short run

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Take a historical perspective

• Pre-internet…

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Marcus Welby brought medicine into our homes

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Democratization of medical information

Usenet

AOL

Brochureware

Web, social media, mobile

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Incredible opportunities!!!

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And many pitfalls

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Pitfalls include

• People going online instead of going to a doctor• People using poor quality or deceptive

information – the barriers have dropped• People misusing or misunderstanding information• People obsessively searching• People who are scared to death• People confronting their doctors or not telling

their doctor about their “Dr. Google diagnosis”

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“Don’t ask, don’t tell” culture

• Doctors don’t ask and patients don’t tell• Yet patients are increasing relying on technology

especially with social media and mobile• Technology becomes a cognitive prosthetic

device for many• Are patients less likely to ask their doctor

questions because they plan to look it up?

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Interventions can avoid “don’t ask,

don’t tell”

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Patients

TechnologyPhysicians

How can the pitfalls be avoided

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Better health literacy skills

Better training of healthcare professionals

Better design

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Better health literacy skills

• How to search• What to look for –

dates, authors, seals• How to communicate

with a physician• What to believe and

when and how to be skeptical

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Better training of healthcare professionals

• What and when to ask patients• What and when to recommend• Which to recommend• How to increase health literacy skills

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Better design of health sites, social media, and apps

• Test on real users with mixed health literacy skills in context

• Conduct formative evaluations from the start• Have clear health goals and measure success

at achieving them• Use better imagery• Clear branding and accreditation

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Accreditation

• Works when – Accreditation exists– Processes are transparent– Processes are not criticized– Healthcare consumers know to look

• Happens in other domains• Is there a better way in healthcare?

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Which resources have you used to obtain information on a health-related question?

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Patients

TechnologyPhysicians

Intermediaries

Introduce intermediaries

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Who are intermediaries?

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Patients

TechnologyPhysicians

Intermediaries: Medical librarians,

Pharmacists, Health coaches, Patient

navigators, etc.

Who are intermediaries?

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Intermediaries help patients

• How to search and what to search for• How to detect the quality of expert-generated

content• How to use user-generated content• When to contribute user-generated content• How to communicate with physicians about

online activities

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Intermediaries help physicians

• What their patients are doing online• What resources their patients need• How to communicate with patients about

online activities

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Patients

TechnologyPhysicians

Intermediaries: Medical librarians,

Pharmacists, Health coaches, Patient

navigators, etc.

Toward a better future for consumer healthcare