Adding Mobile Connectivity and Game Elements to Health Care Communications Can Improve Engagement and Outcomes
Feldman Stakeholder Relations and MobiHealthNews Publish Pioneering Industry Analysis on Mobile Health Games
Los Angeles, CA (November 29, 2011) A new industry uses mobile connectivity and elements of electronic gaming to increase users’ engagement and motivation to improve healthcare outcomes. Bonnie Feldman, DDS, MBA, in collaboration with MobiHealthNews, has published one of the first comprehensive industry analyses covering the emerging industry of mobile health games. Original research by Dr. Feldman is based on interviews with more than 50 key players in emerging mobile health companies, university research projects, game developers, design firms and other industry experts.
“Using the widespread availability of 24/7 connectivity to improve health outcomes is just getting started, yet mobile games are already showing real potential to improve communication and support for users across the continuum of care, from fitness and wellness to chronic disease management,” said Dr. Feldman. “From my experience as a practicing dentist, I believe enhanced communications with patients will be a key to better health. Viewing the evolving ecosystem as a health services researcher and Wall Street equity analyst, it is apparent that mobile technology, by sprinkling fun into the healthcare equation, can motivate patients and enable providers to improve outcomes, as well as encourage healthy people to improve fitness and well-being.”
Emerging themes include:
1. Outside players are influencing and enhancing the healthcare ecosystem, expanding definitions of health and wellness into self-help and life balance.
Multidisciplinary collaboration, already commonplace in design firms such as frog design inc. (frog) and Continuum LLC, is growing in academic centers, such as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of San Diego (UCSD). Even more important, such collaboration is emerging in some of the biggest providers and payers (Kaiser Permanente, Humana Inc., GE/Intel, Janssen Health Innovation).
Collaboration is built into to the culture of early-stage companies highlighted in this report. Tellingly, many have founders from outside healthcare, such as at Mindbloom Incorporated, Kairos Labs, Worksmart Labs, Basis, Massive Health, Vivecoach, Keas, and OneRecovery. An emerging trend is defining healthcare beyond disease and wellness to encompass self-help (Kairos Labs) and life balance (Mindbloom).
2. Companies creating programs that respond to basic human needs by drawing on three new disciplines: game design, behavioral science and social networking science (although one size does not fit all).
Along the health continuum from fitness to chronic illness, there are characteristic ways to mix and match game elements. For example:
- Addiction recovery programs using applied social support and game mechanics.
- Medical device companies for chronic diseases (starting with diabetes) building online communities and using peer-peer support for information sharing and support.
- Medication adherence programs using reward programs and entertainment.
3. Emerging techniques include feeding short bites of daily information that fit into the tiny screens and 24/7 connectivity of mobile users and work with shorter attention spans.
4. Big players (Kaiser, Humana, GE/Intel, Janssen) are waking up to the potential in the mobile health games arena.
Go to http://www.mobihealthnews.com/offers_5/Mobile_Games_for_Health.php to download the complimentary full report.
About MobiHealthNews
MobiHealthNews offers a combination of breaking news, exclusive interviews, live event coverage and industry commentary to its growing readership of hospital administrators, healthcare service providers, physicians, nurses and industry players who are designing, developing and deploying the wireless services that are transforming healthcare today. MobiHealthNews is both a daily, online news portal and a free, weekly newsletter.
About Feldman Stakeholder Relations
Feldman Stakeholder Relations is a consulting firm which helps healthcare companies integrate and execute strategies in business development, marketing, communications, and investor and public relations. The senior professional team has deep and broad experience in wireless health, healthcare IT, medical devices and biotechnology. Consultants work both onsite and virtually. Bonnie Feldman, DDS, MBA, brings a 360-degree view of the evolving landscape, drawing upon experience in clinical practice, claims review consulting, health services research and as a Wall Street equity analyst and communications professional.
Contact:
Bonnie Feldman, DDS, MBA
Feldman Stakeholder Relations
bonniefeldman@verizon.net
(310) 666-5312
www.drbonnie360.com
@DrBonnie360
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