Stuart Karten Talks Tech with Dr. David Rhew at Frost & Sullivan

Frost and Sullivan Medical Technologies

At this year’s Medical Technologies 2015: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, Stuart Karten facilitated an interactive breakout session with Dr. David Rhew, CMO and VP of Global Healthcare at Samsung. Stuart and Dr. Rhew explored ways developers can apply technology to engage patients and consumers in their healthcare, touching on the role that caregivers, actionable data, and social motivators play in empowering positive health habits.

Key takeaways from the conversation include:

1. In order to take a more active role in their health, patients—and caregivers—need to be able to access the data that will help inform their health behaviors.

  • Understand that patients today are more informed: Patients and caregivers desire a more active role in their health and don’t want to be segregated from their data anymore. Products should facilitate a better, richer dialogue between patients, physicians, and caregivers—and make conversations easier.
  • Provide transparency: Patients and consumers should have easy access to their medical records, data collected from their bodies, and information about the quality and cost of the healthcare they’re receiving. Create solutions that enable patients to own this data, download it, export it, and transfer it as needed.

2. Decision-making is driven by a multitude of psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional factors. In order to engage patients, we must understand the mechanisms and motivators that influence their behaviors.

  • Leverage mobile: By 2020, 90% of cellphone users will have smartphones. The majority of these users carry their phones with them at all times. This, combined with the powerful embedded features that many of today’s smartphones have to offer, makes mobile tech a valuable tool for engaging consumers.
  • Harness social: Social networks present a tremendous opportunity to motivate individuals. A patient’s family and friends can provide much-needed support, encouragement, and even a bit of friendly competition that all promote engagement. Beyond sharing data, create a sense of community around your product that helps patients remember they are not alone in their health journey.

3. Families and caregivers are the most underutilized members of the healthcare team.

  • Elevate the role of caregivers: It’s tempting to simply think of caregivers and family members as drivers from point A to point B. However, caregivers play an integral role in patients’ lives—for one, they’re often closest to the patient—and have real potential to positively influence a patient’s routine. Product developers should consider these individuals an essential part of the care team and design with their needs in mind.
  • Connect caregivers: Create opportunities to involve and connect caregivers whenever possible. It “takes a village”—there is always a caregiver or tribe of caregivers that are just as, if not more, invested in the patient as the doctor is. Connect the communication gaps, and allow a social network to connect to your device to enable sharing and transparency among care teams and patients’ families.