Today's lesson focused on the shift in the methods of healthcare provision towards remote consultation and customised medicine, how the integration of medical and communication technologies helps to facilitate this process, and finally the reinforcement of the individual's role in taking responsibility for their own health. We also distinguished Biotechnology from BioBusiness; BioBusiness is commercial activity based on an understanding of life science and its processes, and the idea of taking advantage of biological systems to engage in commercial activity. Biotechnology is the application of our knowledge in biology into products and using that knowledge to create the appropriate technology. Finally, we also uncovered the disturbing fact that healthcare costs in USA already account for more than 50% of the world's total healthcare expenditure.
Some thoughts:
1) The article on disruptive innovations is particularly memorable because it had a lot of sense to it. It made me realise that the answer to all our woes about expensive healthcare costs is very much within our reach. Yet, this seems so far away with all the resistance. The examples of the camera, telephone and photocopier were very relevant and highlighted just how effective disruptive technologies can be in making what was once expensive and exclusive, into something that every man can do and have access to. I think it is also important to note that many disruptive technologies today are not pioneering technologies. For example, even though Google became a major search engine, it was not the first of its kind. In fact, there were 10 such search engines before Google came about and revolutionised the industry. Personally, I feel that acceptance is definitely going to be the greatest barrier to overcome before disruptive technologies can go mainstream. Change can be difficult, so a person has to be experiencing real pain in order to want change. A small change is easier for people to accept, rather than changes that will drastically affect the their lives. It will be hard to get people to bravely step away from the security of the status quo and to take the risk of embarking on something that will potentially transform the way they live their lives. And I don't blame people for hesitating; it is rather daunting to take up something that has no guaranteed success. Therefore, I think the most effective way to ensure that disruptive technologies go mainstream is qualm this uncertainty and certify disruptive technologies. This will reassure people of its potential benefits. The government can play a very important role in this. Perhaps the government could set up governmental bodies that deal specifically with the accreditation of disruptive technologies. They could run tests and do market researches to validate feasibility, run trials in selected agencies or in a selected group of people and then certify these technologies. It is also important that these bodies give the public a rough projection of the benefits associated with the application and implementation of such technology. Having said that, the government itself has to believe in the use of disruptive technology and be willing to take that leap of faith. Without the government's support, I feel that such technology will indeed mostly remain unacknowledged, which would be a very sad ending.
2) While I was doing some research on modern health care methods, I came across a very interesting pill bottle that reminds patients when it is time to take their medicine. It's called the GlowCap and it was developed by a company called Vitality. The GlowCap is an intelligent pill bottle that flashes a light when it is time for the patient to take his/her medicine. When the bottle is opened it sends telemetry back to a portal which can be used to track patient medication adherence. It also has an accompanying device that lights up, beeps and even make auto-generate phone calls to you house if you still forget to take your medication.
Vitality GlowCaps from Vitality on Vimeo.
This video ties in with what was mentioned in the video that prof posted, about how many of the patients today suffer from relatively low risk diseases/conditions that can be cured by a strict routine of medication, a healthy diet and exercise. The challenge is then to get these patients to stick to their exercise and drug therapy regimes. More innovative technologies like the GlowCap are sure to rise in the future and they will play a big part in helping us cope with low-risk diseases by ensuring that medication is taken when it is necessary.
Overall rating: 7/10
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