The Whole-Person Integrated-Care (Wpic) Health Solution: Purpose 6
In the kickoff 5 parts of this serial on the Whole-Person Integrated-Care (WPIC) Wellness Solution, I discussed how particular personality characteristics -- i.e., one's cognitions (thoughts), emotions, knowledge, too coping strategies -- decide whether or non people possess got proficient attention of their health. On ane terminate of the spectrum are the self-motivated "Activists" who are eager to hit too hold fantabulous health. On the other terminate are the "Ignorer/Deniers," who, for a myriad of reasons, strongly too consistently resist self-managing their health.
I at ane time start to response the question: What's necessary for people to alter the way they think, experience too deed inward a way that promotes good for you lot living?
I assert that AWARENESS is the house to start. It's obvious that people possess got trivial incentive to alter if they are unaware that they possess got wellness problems, risks, or are managing chronic weather condition poorly. Whether due to ignorance or self-deception, the kickoff thing these people require is greater awareness of their wellness status too in all probability future. Becoming aware of their wellness problems, risks too pitiable self-management tends to give ascent to fear. This fearfulness is based on their belief that they volition experience pain, larn disabled, or die. For some, such fearfulness a motivator. For others, the fearfulness leads to denial, too therefore it's wise for them to "reframe" the province of affairs inward price of "joy of life" rather than "fear of death," as I discussed inward an before post. Nevertheless, awareness is essential.
Things that tin promote self-awareness are other people, media, too information technology. These people may live sick-care professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses too therapists); well-care coaches too counselors; describe of piece of work solid unit of measurement too friends; too fifty-fifty "virtual acquaintances" through Internet-based social networking (see Web 2.0). Media include spider web sites, TV, movies, newspapers, books, etc. Information applied scientific discipline includes wellness information systems, such every bit personal wellness records (PHRs) too online wellness information repositories.
In this post, I'm going to focus on the proficient too bad of wellness information applied scientific discipline for consumers since in that location is corking struggle nearly their usefulness. See, for example, this recent article inward Business Week about Google too Microsoft's Internet-based products for electronic healthcare information storage too access, too the Robert Woods Johnson blog for their Project HealthDesign PHR evolution initiative.
I content that nosotros are inward the "Stone Age" of wellness information technology. Current twenty-four hr menses products are non really useful to the typical consumer, too could live much to a greater extent than useful to professionals. That's because the greatest value information is not obtained past times but having a house to shop personal wellness data. Instead, value comes from using these information to assist consumers too their healthcare professionals foreclose physical too mental wellness problems, process needlelike illnesses, too self-manage chronic conditions.
So, what nearly search Internet engines such every bit Google? Well, they're non of corking value either since solely sixteen per centum of online consumers detect what they were looking for since search engines tend to focus on breadth rather than on content quality, which way they normally supply an overwhelming number of generic "hits" that are oftentimes of questionable validity. This is especially truthful for searches on wellness topics such every bit choice medicine, herbal too nutritional supplements, prescription drugs, illness cures, too nutrition. In fact, seventy per centum of scientific studies present that character of online wellness information is a major problem.[1]
Things possess got been improving, however, amongst spider web sites such every bit Helia Health, Organized Wisdom, , Revolution Health, too WebMD. The work is that they all focus on providing full general rather than personalized information. This way people must scan through pages of information too links, the vast bulk of which possess got null to create amongst their needs. And when they lastly navigate to where relevant information is located, it tends to live generic, non specific to each individual, which tin atomic number 82 to information overload, knowledge underload, too inaccuracies.
What's needed is an easy, low-cost way for information from wellness attention providers too consumers, no affair where they are stored, to live transformed into useful information. This information should non solely increment people's awareness of their electrical current wellness status too risks through comprehensive holistic assessments, but also supply targeted personalized information that increases their knowledge too agreement nearly the most cost-effective ways to bargain amongst troubling health-related issues. These issues may include such things every bit coping amongst a stressful life situation, changing unhealthy lifestyles, adhering to one's computer program of care, making valid diagnosis, too deciding wisely nearly which handling pick too insurance computer program to choose. As I discussed inward a previous post, these capabilities move way beyond information storage too access too larn inward into the realm of personalized, holistic (mind-body-spirit) decision-support too self-help assistance. Today's PHRs are really young regarding these types of capabilities.
I've long been recommending the creation of disruptive (radical, discontinuous) technologies that are able to accomplish the lofty goals I described above. By way of total disclosure, I've been developing such a system, called the Personal Health Profiler™, for over 2 decades. It is a major divergence from the kinds of PHRs too spider web sites inward usage today inward that it promotes rapid too to a greater extent than consummate agreement of a person's:
- Current physiological, psychological too mind-body functioning too risks
- Wellness interventions too self-management plans
- Sick-care treatments
- Changes inward wellness status (trends over time)
- Clinical outcomes too costs of attention received.
This information is presented inward a personal wellness profile too yields ameliorate (deeper too broader) agreement of a person's problems too needs, thereby improving diagnostic too treatment/intervention decisions. It comes from analyses of detailed information nearly the relationships betwixt one's:
- Internal factors--including problematic physical signs too symptoms, illnesses, emotions, too cognitions (thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, "self-schemas," attributions & appraisals, expectations, memories, etc.), too knowledge & understanding.
- Behaviors--including diet, exercise, alcohol too core use, risky activities, sleep, mobility, etc.
- External influences/causes--including stressful interpersonal relationships, stressful too unhealthy physical (e.g., work, living) environments, economical pressures, etc. on the ane hand, too supportive weather condition that promote proficient wellness on the other hand.
- Medications too abnormal lab testify results --to position possible interactions (e.g., how for certain drugs beingness taken may live causing one's white blood jail cellular telephone count to driblet too interfering amongst one's sleep).
- Mind too body-- such every bit medication side-effects too physical illnesses that introduce every bit mental wellness problems, every bit good every bit physical symptoms that may live due to (or exacerbated by) stress.
In addition, this next-generation application provides these essential functionalities:
- "Pushes" targeted information to consumers too professionals to create total knowledge gaps too increment understanding, instead of requiring that the information live "pulled" past times them. This way particular "findability;" that is, navigating to too accessing relevant information is a breeze compared to the complex too oftentimes convoluted procedure required to obtain too filter desired information from typical spider web portals too search engines
- Identifies cardinal stressful/distressing life issues too wellness risks, which assist focus wellness-counseling efforts.
- Identifies how a person's underlying beliefs (cognitions) too related emotions foster or hinder good for you lot behaviors too wellbeing, which also assist focus counseling efforts too helps interruption through resistance too denial.
- Delivers warnings too alerts essential to effective prevention.
- Delivers ongoing feedback to the consumers too professionals every bit to their progress, too therefore whatsoever necessary adjustments to the wellness computer program tin live made efficiently too proficient continuity of attention tin live maintained.
- Uses a structured, personalized coping & problem-solving methodology that helps a someone accomplish positive results every bit apace every bit possible past times targeting the most problematic situations kickoff too applying a proven method for resolving them.
- Supports well-care/sick-care integration.
- Continually evolves using flexible software modules, information sets too algorithms that are all transparent too easily modifiable.
- Accommodates whatsoever electrical current too hereafter data too applied scientific discipline standards
- Continually feeds a knowledge base of operations amongst de-identified handling too outcomes information to back upward enquiry efforts.
These capabilities non solely increment consumer awareness, but they cutting the fourth dimension the wellness professionals possess got to pass trying to agreement a person's problems, needs, too cognitive-emotional blocks, which speeds the creation too improves the accuracy of their attention plans. And the targeted information, self-help tools, warnings & alerts, structured coping & problem-solving methods, too continuous knowledge base of operations feeds offering a cost-effective way to assist improve outcomes, including ameliorate health, wellbeing too overall character of life, increased productivity, too workplace safety.
Note that such a paradigm-busting disruptive applied scientific discipline require non brand conventional technologies obsolete since they tin piece of work together.
In subsequent posts, I'll explicate how the Personal Health Profiler™ plant too offering an chance for collaboration inward its continued evolution.
---
[1] "Health Information Search Engines Emerge; Growing Consumer Demand for Health Information Increases Need for Better Quality, More Personalized Searches, Says Expert at 11th World Congress on Internet inward Medicine." Internet Wire (Oct 18, 2006).