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Health Gadgets for the Future

By Perrie Briskin | March 2, 2012

We’ve all been frustrated by the feeling that our doctor holds all the cards when it comes to our healthcare. If you’ve ever pondered how you could be more involved (it is your health, after all), check out some new digital tools that could turn tables in doctors’ offices everywhere by allowing you to share knowledge about your health with your doctor — not the other way around.

At the center of the discussion of Health 2.0 possibilities is health literacy: the ability to gather and process health information — and to use that information to make informed health decisions. Health 2.0 applications and gadgets are uniquely poised to engage us in our own health, and raise health literacy levels in the process — something public health officials have been trying to do for decades.

Health 2.0 gadgets that allow us to monitor our own health are still in their infancy. Tools such as Withings’ Blood Pressure Monitor have only been on the market for a year or two, and things like the iBGStar blood glucose monitor are still in development. Then there are tools like the EyeNetra device, which turns smart phones into eye exam machines, mostly for those without access to eye care. This handful of tools shows us the future is rife with possibility.

The folks over at Software Advice recently peered into this future and made a few hefty predictions about where Health 2.0 gadgets are headed:

  • A diabetes risk calculator that, through measuring certain proteins in the blood, could detect whether a person is on track for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • A digital spirometer that could measure the volume of air going in and out of the lungs to help people who frequently feel a shortness of breath.

At CommunicateHealth, we’re looking forward to seeing what Health 2.0 comes up with next. The hope is that these devices will get us more actively involved in our health care. And at the very least, they will make it possible for health care workers with limited resources to provide a level of care unimaginable 50 years ago. A healthier world is always the goal — time will tell if gadgets like these can get us a little closer.

Categories: Health Literacy | Tags:

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Day Two of Innovation at DHCX

By Sarah | February 21, 2012

Before we give our highlights from Day Two of the Digital Health Communication Extravaganza, let’s add our voice to the chorus of attendees who were provoked by Sekou Andrews’ performative speech that closed Day One! Deeply touching (and amusing!), it was a superb example of using storytelling to talk about complex problems and solutions — a model we always love to see in action.

Vic Strecher’s Keynote Brings Inspiration and… Spirituality?

“We expect people to see our health message, say ‘Aha! Thank you, I never knew that before,’ and then do what we want them to do.” A lot of heads in the audience nodded at this and other observations by Vic Strecher. His keynote speech got us asking big questions like:

  • If all our models are about morbidity and mortality, how can we expect people to take a “health assessment” without it feeling like a “death assessment”?
  • Research shows that we aren’t good at making healthy decisions when under heavy cognitive load. How can we ease that load to help make those choices easier?
  • If affirming personal values like empathy helps us make better choices for our health, why do we keep asking people about their risk factors instead of their hopes and beliefs?
  • How can new technology help add tools like motivational interviewing into digital health interventions?

We’re really excited to put some of these concepts into action in our work at CommunicateHealth… stay tuned.

Digital Media — The digital self, the earned conversation, and the meaningful relationship

Rohit Bhargava, Craig Lefebve, and Gary Kreps got us thinking about digital identities, our truly social networks, and building meaningful health promoting relationships.

A few thoughts from this panel:

  • By adding values to our online identities, we’re beginning the process of self-affirmation discussed earlier by Vic Stretcher. How can digitizing the self help us get better at making difficult health choices?
  • We know that smokers stick with other smokers, and obese people tend to know other obese people. How can we reach key influencers in increasingly homogenized social groups?
  • Nonverbal aspects of interpersonal communication can be integrated in digital communication. This means it’s more important than ever to design simple, welcoming products and tools. (And remember, simple tools help ease cognitive load!)
  • How are readability, usability, and customization related to the credibility of our messages?

Ending with Innovation

The last speakers of the conference, Lawrence Swiader and Leigh Calabrese-Eck, shared interesting new campaigns that both try to change the tone of traditional health messaging to better connect with their audiences.

(And a good example of “tone fail”: Lawrence asks, “Why do the people on this vaginitis brochure look so… happy?”)

  • Bedsider.org isn’t about what type of birth control is “right” — it’s about what type is right for you. We love IDEO’s work, and weren’t surprised to learn that a number of users were involved in the creation and development of the site and complementary materials (like the new app Booty Log).
  • Eliza Corp. uses automated telephone calls with friendly, fun messages to engage people with their health insurance carriers. Themes include “Talk health to me, baby,” among others.

Hitting the right note with messaging was a big theme of this panel: is the slick, sexy look of Bedsider.org what a woman struggling with choices about birth control really wants to see? Is a “love letter from your heart” what a person wants to hear from their HMO? It sounds like these campaigns are striving to listen to their audiences and will continue to hone the content and style of their messages.

Finally…

A huge thank you to Jay Bernhardt, the University of Florida, and everyone who was involved with this conference. It was a very special group of thinkers (and doers!).

Also, thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to check out the conversation on the live Twitter feed, see some examples of our work, and take our daily poll (did you know that 8 out of 11 DHCX attendees want to get emails from their doctor in between visits?). We look forward to seeing you all again next year!

(Can’t wait till the next DHCX to hear from us? Make sure to follow @CommunicateHlth when we report on the SXSW Interactive Health track from Austin next month.)

Categories: Design for Health, e-health, Social Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Extreme Digital Health Communication: CommunicateHealth Reports From DHCX

By Sarah | February 18, 2012

At CommunicateHealth, we believe that digital health communication is an important piece of the health communication puzzle. So we’re excited to bring you a few highlights from sessions at the Digital Health Communication Extravaganza, where we’ve been soaking up some of the very latest innovations on the topic. It’s only Day One, and we’ve already got plenty to share.

Social Media Metrics

Scott Shamp, Craig Lefevbre, and Jay Bernhardt gave some great insights into social media metrics:

  • Social media is a conversation — not a one-way message. We need to find metrics that measure those conversations.
  • While in-depth research takes time and planning, it helps us understand the history of social media activities. We can ask questions. What worked? What didn’t? We don’t always have to be in the “now” of the media stream; taking a moment to look back is important, too.

And we think they’re asking exactly the right questions:

  • How do we balance the need for planning and protocols (especially in government work) with the importance of fast deployment and flexible evaluation of social media?
  • How can we use social media to get people to take action regarding their health?

What’s Next for Social Media?

Scott Shamp, Amelia Burke, and Craig Lefebvre led a great session on what’s up next for social media. We’ll have our eye on:

  • CDC’s effort to change attitudes about vaccination through live Meetups — a great example of using online communities to get real behavior change.

And some food for thought:

  • What are the implications of frictionless sharing for health information seekers, which can obviously be very personal. Do our Facebook friends need to know what kind of health information we’re looking for?

Inspiration and Strategies for Digital Health Communication

Kathy Crosby of the FDA, Sue Lucas, and Jonathan Cho helped us find some inspiration and strategies for digital health communication. Two key points:

  • Medical organizations are shifting from a “patient” to a “consumer” orientation. While this certainly presents new challenges, can we frame it as an opportunity instead?
  • We need to remember that health care providers need easy-to-use tools, too. Both patients and doctors face usability issues.

We also learned of a new initiative from a TEDMED and NCI partnership: cdhw.ideascale.com. Check it out — we’ll be doing the same.

Mobile Health: Flexible and Future-Proof Solutions

The discussion of mobile health led by Larry King and Rich Panzer included some pretty staggering facts:

  • Mobile devices will outnumber humans in 2012.
  • In a few years, 1 billion HTML 5-enabled phones will be in use.

So what are the implications for health communication? Will web tools dominate apps? Good questions.

They also spoke on responsive web design, which adjusts what’s displayed on-screen depending on the device being used. As believers in user-centered design, that got folks thinking:

  • What about responsive web design that also reacts and adapts to the user (e.g., more search scaffolding tools for new users)?
  • How do we write and produce responsive and flexible content to facilitate responsive and flexible design?

And From Communicatehealth: Day One’s Poll Results

We asked attendees: Have you searched for health information on your phone this week? The results? 58% said yes!

Sandy Hilfiker shared research and findings on Health Literacy in a Digital Landscape in her poster presentation.

With lots more great speakers to go, we’re looking forward to Day Two.

Categories: About Us, Design for Health, e-health, Health Literacy, Mobile Health, Usability | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Plain Language Comes to Health Insurance Summaries – Finally!

By Christine Parizo | February 14, 2012

One of the new health labels

An example of an insurance coverage label released by HHS. (Kaiser Health News)

It’s a fact: shopping around for health insurance plans is a challenge — even for the most health-savvy consumer. If you’ve ever read a health insurance plan’s “explanation” of benefits and finished feeling as though nothing was actually explained, you’re not alone.

Fortunately, that’s going to change. Last week, HHS unveiled an additional requirement for health insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act: plain language. Specifically, insurance companies will have to provide summaries that clearly explain their health plans — along with a glossary of commonly used terms.

In our opinion, this change couldn’t come fast enough. Starting in September, health insurance companies will be required to provide two new plain language forms. Both individuals and companies that offer health insurance to their employees will get these forms, the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) and list of definitions (“Uniform Glossary”). The new forms are based on prototypes that went through two rounds of testing for usability. What’s even better is that the forms were created in a public process that involved not only the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, but also a group of representatives from consumer advocacy organizations, health insurers, and patient advocates.

One of the most exciting features of the new forms is that commonly used insurance terms are printed in another color, and the Uniform Glossary defines them. Consumers, particularly those with limited literacy skills and limited English proficiency, can easily find out what words like “deductible” and “network” mean in each case. Another great feature is the “coverage examples” section, which looks a lot like the nutrition labels on packaged foods. Each coverage example takes a different situation (like having a baby) and breaks down what insurance will cover and what the patient will pay out of pocket. These coverage examples will go a long way toward showing consumers the difference between different plans.

At CommunicateHealth, we are optimistic. So is HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who had this to say on Friday: “All consumers, for the first time, will really be able to clearly comprehend the sometimes confusing language insurance plans often use in marketing. This will give them a new edge in deciding which plan will best suit their needs and those of their families or employees.”

What do you think of the new forms?

Categories: Health Literacy, Plain Language | Tags:

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