thoughts on healthcare & the internet of things

When things talk, are we ready to listen?Thoughts on healthcare and the internet of things.

About me

Clients

This talk is about how we could think about public & private data gathering.

Context 1: health.

The theoryWearables help us understand our health more precisely and make changes every day.

ActuallyAccelerometer data for health purposes is extremely inaccurate no matter how you define ‘health’.

ActuallyData gets boring to look at. (the energy display effect.)

ActuallyOr reversely gamified health systems enables obsessive behaviour and eating disorders.

ActuallyWe get bored easily.

ActuallyMost people discard their wearable within a 6 month period.

See PWC report from 2014.

What we need to think aboutThat data gathering about your own body isn’t another form of fashion and cultural mimicry.

We are offering very little more than a pedometer would but at 100 times the cost.

What we need to think aboutBecause if you can’t answer the question ‘how are you doing’ without checking a device, there’s something else going on.

Context 2: At work

The data ‘opportunity’Let’s track your gym attendance, the number of steps you take so we can make sure everyone works to the best of their potential.

ActuallyWhat you can guess from activity does not translate into a perfect picture of an employee’s ability to do great work.

Nor should it unless your job absolutely depends on it.

ActuallyWhat if someone has cancer, AIDS or another medium / long term chronic illness.An employee isn’t a liability by default, it should always be an asset first.

What we need to think aboutData gathering is another way of exploiting people’s economic status

Context 3: At home with your grandparents

The data ‘opportunity’Let’s track the elderly so we can bring them care at the right time.

In-home care is very expensive.Care homes even more.

ActuallyOlder people want to stay at home as long as they can but…

Nearly half of older people (49% of 65+ in the UK) say that television or pets are their main form of company

See York Health & Wellbeing Study 2014

What we need to think aboutAre we giving families an excuse to ‘monitor’ instead of doing the hard job of caring, engaging and supporting an ailing family member.

Are we building responsive AND personal home care?

What we need to think aboutWhose data is available to make smart decisions about people living on their own?

Water? Energy? Television?

What we need to think aboutHow do we create an environment where that data is not locked inbut available to people to see?

Is there such a thing as public personally accessible data?

Data that is useful and for the public good

Data that helps deliver better services.

Data that makes us think about flexible access.

Ways forward

As of 2015, the FDA is assessing the effectiveness of apps & ‘devices’with medical applications.

Ways forward

In March 2018, EU GDPR directive comes in that will force companies todisclose what information they haveabout consumers.

Ways forward

We’re working on iotmark.org a certification mark for connected products. We’re looking for local partners to helpmanage & police the mark.

Ways forward

Security, privacy, interoperability, provenance,ownership & permissions are conversations the mark will support.

Because data should be a collective conversation.

Question what is hiding behind data, how is it really being collected? Is it accurate?

Find out what behaviours are being enabled, good and bad.

Think about what is the alternatives to using that product.

In conclusion

Think about data as unrelated to a person.

Think about data as small, local.

Think about the people who have to interact with it and their needs.

In conclusion

Thanksdesignswarm.comgoodnightlamp.comiotmark.orgthegoodhome.orgiot.london

alex@designswarm.com@iotwatch