Medical Futures Lab

Guest posting by Sarah Bakhiet

In a previous blog post, I discussed the emerging practice of remote health care, in which physicians provide medical care to patients through video conferencing. Remote health care works especially well in the field of psychiatry, and may even provide better outcomes than in-person psychiatry in certain cases. Referred to as telepsychiatry or Skype psychiatry, this new form of telemedicine is enhancing the ability of psychiatrists to treat a variety of mental health patients.

In other fields of medicine, video conferencing has been used to alleviate the shortage of physicians in rural areas and to provide quick health care in time-sensitive cases, such as stroke patients. Telepsychiatry plays a similar role in providing therapy and treatment to patients living in remote areas who do not have access to psychiatrists or psychologists. Furthermore, having the ability to choose between psychiatrists throughout the world and not being limited to local psychiatrists allows patient’s access to a variety of psychiatrists who may be better trained in their specific disorder. In cases where mental health patients may be experiencing panic attacks or other pressing issues, being able to connect directly to their psychiatrist within minutes instead of waiting for an appointment can make all the difference.

Telepsychiatry is especially beneficial for patients with social anxiety disorders, such as agoraphobia. For these patients, having access to treatment from the comfort of their own home removes the burden of venturing out in public, which might prevent them from seeking treatment in the first place.

Although there are several benefits to telepsychiatry, there are some concerns that must be addressed as well. When it comes to medication, psychiatrists have been disciplined for prescribing pills to patients they had never examined in person, raising ethical and safety concerns (1). Furthermore, the in-person benefits of “immediacy and warmth” may be lost through virtual therapy sessions (2). Despite these drawbacks, telepsychiatry seems to have a promising future in providing mental health care to a variety of patients.

[1] http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/09/doctor-treat-skype-sanction
[2] http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/28/skype-revolutionizing-mental-health-care/

Guest posting by David Lam

Guest posting by Sonali Mahendran

I came across a few articles emphasizing the significance of sharing medical records with patients and other providers. One story that particularly captured my interest was that of Mr. Steven Keating, a doctoral student at M.I.T.’s Media Lab, who collected and researched his own patient data, which led to the discovery of a brain tumor. This signified the fact that there are no real bounds of what medical information sharing can do in terms of empowering patients, and, as a result, healthcare providers. Although, this may seem optimal, there are several obstacles that health care providers face when implementing this solution, such as finance, tradition, and federal policies. However, I believe that the rewards outweigh the risks involved in sharing health information; healthcare providers are able to work more efficiently, and patients are encouraged to become more involved in their own care.

I decided to highlight the problems faced by providers in this first infographic.

In this second infographic, I emphasize the benefits of sharing medical records and a current approach that encourages providers to share health information.

Sources:
http://e-patients.net/archives/2015/04/spm-survey-in-times-square-americans-believe-their-medical-data-should-be-shared-with-their-providers.html
Inspiration:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/technology/the-healing-power-of-your-own-medical-data.html?_r=0

Guest posting by Charles Ho

Convenient smartphone applications that brings services to you, such as Uber or Postmates, has gained significant popularity in recent years. This made me think about how we can utilize such convenient services in the context of healthcare. Upon my research, I constructed the following infographic of a few developing examples of the usage of smartphone delivery apps for brining healthcare needs to the user. The benefits are obvious, such as scheduling convenience and reducing volume of unnecessary doctor visits.

While such services can be very appealing for their convenience, the disadvantages should be considered. As mentioned in a post in the Health Care Blog, these applications can be a quick solution for obtaining immediate health needs. However, one should not rely on these services as their primary method of obtaining healthcare. The clinicians who operate “on-call” may not know your situation and background as well as one who has known you for years.⁴ Thus, one should be cautious when deciding to call in a random physician for a consult or to visit their regular doctor. Nevertheless, these solutions may be a positive start towards overcoming certain logistical barriers in healthcare.

REFERENCES

[1] Uber Health. <http://blog.uber.com/health>
[2] FirstLine. <http://www.firstlineapp.com/>
[3] Postmates. <http://blog.postmates.com/post/82934476334/the-doctor-is-in-postmates-brings-you-drugs>
[4] Khan, A, et.al. “Uber for health care?? Not so much.”. The Health Care Blog. <http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2014/02/06/uber-for-health-care-not-so-much/>

Guest posting by Sanjana Puri

http://www.hhstaff.com/how-patients-and-healthcare-providers-are-using-social-media-infographic

As I was reflecting on Medical Media Arts Class, I went full circle to the beginning of the course, when we discussed the emerging shift towards digital medicine. I also came across this infographic, which I thought aptly depicted our discussion:  Healthcare is facing great changes, with social media and rapidly evolving technology providing health consumers outlets to be more engaged in the process.   But why exactly are consumers using social health?  For three key reasons:

1.     Emotional Tech Support

Users are seeking social health because it provides an online community of support. Through conversations with families at the Texas Children’s CVICU, I discovered that social media helps parents find resources to better understand and cope with their child’s disease. One mother said that it was a support system that provided answers to questions she couldn’t answer or insight when she didn’t feel ready for the next step. In fact, in a recent poll, 40% of people said information found on social media affects how someone coped with a chronic condition, their view of diet and exercise and their selection of a physician.

2.     Instant Gratification

In the age of technology, we want answers, and we want them now. Technology is fast; it doesn’t work like a typical call to the doctor, where you call in, get redirected to the nurses’ line, leave a message, and then wait for a response within the next 24 hours. It’s nearly instantaneous. In fact, 49 percent of those polled expect to hear from their doctor when requesting an appointment or follow-up via social media within a few hours.  Depending on the blog or social media site, users can quickly receive feedback from peers or healthcare professionals or simply search past posts to their questions.

3.     Comprehensive Coverage

Patients are becoming more engaged in their healthcare, searching for the best and most comprehensive care through their online sources. While shadowing at Lewisville Pri-Med Care last year, I observed patients who brought their own ideas for healthcare from information they had read online. One patient even brought in Cologuard, a new home-screening kit for colon cancer. (Cologuard is often used to test whether a colonoscopy is a necessary next step). From a recent study, 54% of patients are very comfortable with their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their conditions. The patient’s doctor, who I was observing, promptly went online to search basic information, pros/cons, and insurance coverage of the kit, easing any of the patient’s concerns about its usage.