Empowering patients in healthcare can be something of a double edged sword. On the one hand, wearable devices are increasingly capable of both monitoring our health, but also detecting irregularities in what they’re measuring. You also have increasingly powerful AI tools to triage our symptoms and make accurate diagnoses.
On the other hand, you have concerns by doctors that people are Google’ing their symptoms and getting highly exaggerated results that are causing excessive and often unnecessary demand on existing services.
DIY Medicals
Controversial so these tools may be, they still largely place the actual medical work in the hands of trained medical professionals, but that may be about to change, at least if Australian startup, CliniCloud is any indication.
The startup aims to provide us with all the tools required to perform a medical examination from our homes. The kit comes complete with a thermometer, stethoscope, and of course a mobile app. It’s through the app that the user is instructed on the correct procedures for each piece of equipment. It also stores the data recorded, and allows for that data to be shared with the person’s doctor.
The company recently teamed up with Doctor On Demand to help users make an appointment with their doctor in the event that their readings are concerning.
“CliniCloud is thrilled to be partnering with Doctor On Demand. The opportunities for smart technology to change how Americans access quality healthcare and improve the way we live are endless, and Doctor On Demand is at the forefront of innovation in this space,” said co-founder and CEO of CliniCloud Andrew Lin. “Together we’re enabling people to get a more comprehensive medical examination from the comfort of home.”
The success of such a service will largely rest, you suspect, on the accuracy of the readings people can take. Whilst there are certain conditions, such as diabetes, where people have grown quite adept at self-managing their condition, but I do wonder just how widespread that level of ability really is.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Is this likely to make people better aware of their own health, or turn us all into hypochondriacs that will bother our doctor unnecessarily?
