Philips publishes new report on connected tech

June 8, 2016 | by | 1 Comment
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Future-health-index-e1465426741815.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]A report published by Philips today claims that 78% of healthcare professionals believe their patients need to take a more active role in managing their health while 20% of UK patients admit to not managing their health, according to a press release. The report suggests that the result of people not paying attention to their health is increased illnesses (or “lifestyle related conditions” as the report calls them) such as heart failure and type 2 diabetes. The report then goes on to suggest that the use of “connected technology” to help manage their health should be made mandatory for some patients. Connected technology is defined as technology that enables sharing of information throughout all parts of the health system (e.g. doctors, nurses, community nurses, patients, hospitals, specialists, insurers and government) that can range from computer software that allows secure communication between doctors and hospitals, to a watch that tracks a person’s heartbeat. However, the connected technology in a case study highlighted in the press release is home based monitoring systems supplied by Philips for a classic UK telehealth trial for COPD, diabetes and heart failure.

Philips say they commissioned the Future Health Index (FHI) report to globally gauge perceptions towards the accessibility and integration of health systems, and the adoption of connected healthcare. The intention is to annually monitor how perceptions of connected healthcare shift over time. This first edition of the FHI covers 13 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

At the heart of the report is a new index that has been invented by Philips and its US commissioned researchers, Institute for the Future. The Future Health Index (FHI) is calculated by combining the quantitative survey responses from patients and healthcare professionals equally on questions about access to the healthcare system, their country’s current state of health integration and adoption of connected care technology and. The Index ranges from 0 to 100 points, and is the average of three sub-indices: access (across the health continuum); integration (of health system); and adoption (of connected care technology). Each of the three sub-indices range from 0 to 100 points, and each are weighted equally in the final FHI
score. The three sub-indices scores are based on a series of question groupings (or components) that draw from a distinct theme in the questionnaire.

The Institute for the Future is an independent, non-profit forecasting research group based in Palo Alto, California.

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Categories: Latest News.
Tags: connected health, Institute for the Future, NHS, Philips, and telehealth.

Comments

  1. The trouble is, while I do believe it’s true that people don’t take enough responsibility for their health, it’s difficult when viable and correct health information is just not readily available for everyone. Shops and supermarkets are piled high with so called ‘health’ foods which are just laden with sugar for example. People are duped into believing that they are doing what is right for their health when they just aren’t. My aunt was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and told to eat more healthily. I’ve just discovered that she’s been drinking litres of fruit juice every day in an attempt to ‘be more healthy’ – so she has effectively been downing pure sugar. She wouldn’t even believe me when I told her she shouldn’t be doing this, because “fruit is healthy”. Makes me so mad!