Data for Humans, not Humans for Data

In 2022, data is an inevitable part of our everyday life. Our music preferences, exercise routine, and even our quality of sleep are all collected as data points throughout any given day. While having access to so much data can have some significant positive effects on our overall well-being, it is unfortunately too common for companies to take advantage of the trust of users and the personal information they share. Some responsibility for how this data is collected and stored is mandated in most countries to protect your information - GDPR in the UK and CCPA/HIPAA in the US are examples of this. Today though, we want to focus on how the data is used.?

At Leapcure, we only use data in a way that will have a positive impact on people; so data for humans. We see ourselves as having a responsibility to only use data to improve health journeys and research experiences for patients.

As an organization that uses data collection to inform business decisions, it can sometimes become too easy to lose track of the voices of the users or patients. When a patient tells us about their preferences, it's important to take a step back and think about it. It's not just telling us about how to design something with a better chance of interaction, there's something behind what this patient is trying to tell us. In fact, these patients often care so much about these preferences they are going out of their way to express this to people they don't know.

Looking at the data, we continuously ask ourselves questions like, what does this data point tell us about how this patient feels about this research? Can we make this research experience better for them? Does everyone have equal access to this research option? What is the burden on these individuals with their health struggles??

Treating each data point as a real human experience is a critical responsibility for all companies, but especially for companies like ours, where we can use the information that patients trust us with to make a tangible impact on their health and research journeys. At Leapcure, we make it a point to keep our values in mind when it comes to working with user/patient data. We maintain policies that give patients rights over their data usage, while making sure that the intent of user information isn’t put to causes they wouldn’t support.

In our space, data can not only make a difference to one individual, but it can also make a positive lasting impact on an entire patient community.?

Data can be scary in the wrong hands, but in the right hands, it’s a force for real change.?