MDNews - Minnesota

Targeting Technology, Personalizing Medicine In their new book ePatient 2015: 15 Surprising Trends Changing Health Care, authors Rohit Bhargava and Fard Johnmar explore ideas and technologies that promise to move to the forefront of the healthcare conver- sation in 2015 and remain important for years to come. Two trends to watch: 1.Afocusonculturalfactors — Frequently, digital health technologies developed for underserved populations are ineffective for various cultural and socioeconomic reasons. This phenomenon is known as multicultural misalignment (MM). "Individuals often develop tech- nologies because they think the end user thinks like them," says Johnmar, founder and President of Enspektos, LLC, a New York City-based digital health innovation consultancy. But that assumption may be incor- rect, he notes, citing the example of MM related to texting. "Low-income Americans tend to use texting, but many of them must pay for each message they receive," Johnmar says. "That money adds up. You can't assume a group will use a technology unless you understand their needs. Many organizations now recognize the need to develop tools that are culturally appropriate and accessible to the underserved." In the f uture, physicians may consider MM before recommending particular technologies to patients. "If a technology makes health care harder for patients or shows a basic misunderstanding of how they see the world, physicians will be less likely to recommend it," Johnmar says. 2.Greateremphasisonmedical genealogy — Genetic testing alone does not present a complete picture of patients' risks for certain diseases. "When discussing personal genet- ics, geneticists focus on the fact that one must consider family history in addition to personal genetic profi le to accurately assess risk," Johnmar says. "Researchers view medical geneal- ogy — combining genetics and family history — as a high priority. You have to take a close look at the whole picture to be able to counsel patients in the most appropriate way." Will Health Care Go Home? A recent survey conducted by the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation found that 66 percent of respondents would be somewhat or very likely to accept home-based videoconferencing A PUSH FOR MORE RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY, EXPANDED EFFORTS TO TREAT PATIENTS WHERE THEY ARE AND CONTINUED INCREASES IN HEALTHCARE SPENDING ARE A FEW OF THE TRENDS OBSERVERS PREDICT MAY INFLUENCE THE PRACTICE AND BUSINESS OF MEDICINE IN 2015. Short-term Healthcare Forecast: Fair to Co$tly By Thomas Crocker 1 2 | Minnesota MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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