As health tech brands scramble to respond to protests, critics stress need for representation
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Friday, July 3, 2020

Editor's note: 2020 dealt the healthcare industry one of its greatest challenges in more than a century. The coronavirus pandemic shook the traditional world of medicine and has driven vast innovation in a very short time frame. From the beginning MobiHealthNews has been keeping a close pulse on the rapid change in the health tech industry. It has also looked at how social unrest and justice efforts have pushed the industry to grow and become more inclusive. Now at the mid point of 2020, we are taking a look back at some of the biggest stories of the year.  – Laura Lovett, managing editor pharma and innovation, HIMSS Media

Apple, Google's contact tracing API goes live

By Dave Muoio

Roughly a month after first announcing their unprecedented collaboration, Apple and Google have updated their devices' operating systems today with the first component of their contact tracing API.

Referred to by the companies as "Exposure Notifications," the technology aims to help public health agencies deploy apps that tell individuals when they may have been exposed to another person with COVID-19.

Device owners must opt in to enable the functionality, which according to the companies does not collect location data. The tech companies also noted in their joint announcement that individual users ultimately decide whether or not to report their positive COVID-19 diagnosis through the public health agency's app.

"Over the last several weeks, our two companies have worked together, reaching out to public health officials, scientists, privacy groups and government leaders all over the world to get their input and guidance," the companies wrote in the statement. "Today, this technology is in the hands of public health agencies across the world who will take the lead and we will continue to support their efforts."

WHY IT MATTERS

Contact tracing is a key component of outbreak mitigation that allows public health officials to more quickly identify potential new cases. However, traditional contact tracing is a labor-intensive process where public health groups interview confirmed cases to identify any other individuals they might have infected.

This opens the doors for an automated approach to the practice – one that bakes these capabilities into the operating systems of the two biggest smartphone platforms and immediately places these tools into the hands of as many people as possible.

But the past few weeks have seen a handful of concerns voiced from security specialists, public health figures and certain governments, such as the potential of a self-reporting system to yield false positives. While the Bluetooth-based system described by the companies in draft documentation places a key focus on data security and cryptography, big tech's less-than-stellar track record when it comes to privacy has many consumers wary of the technology.

THE LARGER TREND

So far, the most notable holdout among government groups has been the U.K.'s NHSX. The digital health service said that a more centralized system than Apple and Google are offering would allow for more rapid adaptation as additional coronavirus data is collected.

Other countries like Australia have already rolled out their own COVID-19 tracing apps, with some like India going the extra mile by requiring all workers to download its government-run app.

Bluetooth-based contact tracing has also been proposed by researchers who, like tech companies, stressed the privacy benefits a non-GPS approach has to offer. On the other hand, a recent review from the Ada Lovelace Institute warned that "the significant technical limitations, and deep social risks, of digital contact tracing outweigh the value offered to the crisis response."

Doctor with coronavirus turns to Twitter with his experience >>

By Laura Lovett

After his coronavirus diagnosis, Dr. Yale Tung Chen, an emergency room doctor at Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, was sent into quarantine. But this became an opportunity for him to educate the public about the virus. 

Now four days into his isolation, Chen has actively posted live updates on Twitter about his condition and fielded questions from fellow Twitter users, providing a first-person point of view. 

It’s no secret there is a lot of fear and concern around the spreading virus. This morning the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. The numbers have been growing — according to the most recent WHO situation report, there are 113,702 confirmed cases and 4,012 deaths from the disease.

“We always have so many questions before these epidemics start. Right now, we are all learning,” Chen told MobiHealthNews Wednesday morning. “It has been a whole new world to me. I never expected a tweet I would send would have this reaction – to go all over the world. I’m in the position to educate people about this disease.”

In addition to just symptoms, Chen has also posted ultrasound scans on Twitter, which he took through Butterfly's smartphone-connected ultrasound device.

So far, his symptoms have been relatively mild – cough, diarrhea and congestion. For Chen, a father of two, the isolation has been the hardest part about the condition.

“Nothing traumatic. Just waiting to get past the symptoms. I’m counting the days to get a second test until I can get out of isolation,” Chen said. “I’m expected to reach that point. The most anxious experience [for] me is not being with my kids and my wife.”

While Chen’s perspective as both a doctor and patient is unique, many industry players have turned to Twitter to help dispel the myths building up around the coronavirus.

WHO has also dipped into social media to provide accurate information. While the organization has been using Twitter and Facebook for years, it's also posted videos on TikTok to present information on the virus.

However, it can be difficult for new social media users to separate the hype from the reality.

“Many turn to social media as a reaction to this emergency. But the problem is that those people haven't developed a network of friends and trusted sources. In these instances, they follow the drama and not the details,” John Nosta, the president of health tech thought group NostaLab, wrote to MobiHealthNews in an email. “If you're new to social media I would avoid the sensationalized headline and follow well-established sources like the WHO and traditional news outlets. It's good to see that some paywalls have been eliminated so we all can get access to information.”

Several healthcare providers have also taken to social media to call out racist or xenophobic myths linked to the disease. For example, activist and emergency room physician Dr. Esther Choo recently tweeted about ways to combat xenophobia: 

“Please help combat xenophobia: 

1. Don't call COVID-19 'Chinese coronavirus' or the 'Wuhan virus' 

2. Don't shun Asian people or businesses 

3. Call out racism in the media when you see it (stories on COVID do not need to have a photo of an Asian person, tyvm),” she tweeted.

Historically, social media has been a mixed bag when it comes to getting medical information. However, as the coronavirus continues to emerge as a major public health concern, several social media giants have laid out plans to curb misinformation.

In early February Facebook announced that it would be removing false claims and conspiracy theories about the disease posted on its social media platforms. The Menlo Park-headquartered company said that it is working with a network of third-party fact checkers to review information. If a piece of information is rated as false, the company pledges to limit its spread on Facebook and Instagram. 

Meanwhile in the UK, the NHS announced that it is working with Google, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to provide the public with accurate information about COVID-19 and prevent the spread of “fake news.”

Google plans on providing verified, easy-to-access NHS guidance when someone searches for information on the virus, while both Twitter and Facebook are directing users to the NHS website.

Overall, the take-home message is an emphasis on precautionary measures.

“I would like to say a message of reassurance to everybody. We know how to prevent it. We need to follow the [guidelines] to prevent the infection,” Chen said. “That is, wash your hands, avoid any mass gathering places, try not to cough on other people. [Those are] the most important measures to follow.”

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DIGITAL HEALTH

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BIG TECH IN HEALTH

As health tech brands scramble to respond to protests, critics stress need for representation

The past weeks have seen a wave of health tech companies pledging support to anti-racism protesters, as well as public pressure for clear action steps.

ADOPTION & IMPLEMENTATION

HIMSSCast: How COVID-19 is changing telehealth adoption, plus the COVID-19 Digital Think Tank

Healthbox President Neil Patel describes how his group is helping to facilitate the sharing of solutions and best practices around COVID-19 response.

HIMSS INSIGHTS

COVID-19 and Beyond

The latest issue in the HIMSS Insights series focuses on the implications of the coronavirus crisis for healthcare and healthcare digitization. Several months into the crisis at the time of publication, we try to identify major trends coming out of COVID-19 and unmet digital needs that are being unmasked. The second area of focus is digital health technology assessment which is arising in several healthcare systems and remains highly relevant during the pandemic and beyond.

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Real-time analytics, during the pandemic and beyond >>

PUTTING DATA TO WORK

This month, we look at the lasting lessons from the COVID-19 crisis about how data is exchanged, how it's managed, how it's visualized, how it's put to work informing patient care decisions and population health.