Diagnosis digital: The future of health

Two new reports in prominent medical publications dovetail nicely and point towards a bright future for innovators in population health and health care informatics.

A commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights the emergence of what the authors are calling "Desktop Medicine." This is the increasing trend away from hands-on medical treatment of existing disease towards the management and prevention of health conditions, particularly chronic diseases, by first identifying then reducing risks in specific individuals. In addition to training in epidemiology, genomics and information sciences, this new approach requires access to the type of electronic data gathering and analysis tools that can be used on the increasingly ubiquitous fleet of personal and professional devices. In other words, apps for smart phones, iPads, laptops. Electronic and mobile health and medical records. The ability to interface with multiple systems on a platform-agnostic basis.

How big is the potential market for such health management tools? That depends on how many humans we can jam onto the planet. A series on chronic disease recently published in The Lancet culminates with a paper reminding us of the growing burden of chronic disease worldwide, which is largely ignored by international health donors. About 2-3% of development assistance is currently focused on the management of chronic disease. Yet by 2030 some 69% of global deaths will be caused by non-communicable (mainly chronic) conditions. 80% of those deaths will be in the developing world.

Where do these two perspectives mesh? Currently many  technological or social innovations in how to manage health conditions are occurring in developing-world settings. Think of the boom in mhealth applications, telemedicine, or the community health worker model. Interestingly, many of these approaches come full circle and are deployed in more developed contexts as well. If the future of chronic disease management is increasingly tech-dependent, as the first paper suggests, and the health concerns of the globe are increasingly chronic disease related, than health and health care seem destined for a very digital future indeed.

Can you think of underutilized tech tools that could be applied towards health promotion and disease prevention in either a developing or developed world context? Please share them!