Envisioning a Brighter Future. Reshape it With Us! Onward to ViVE!

I am purpose driven and passionate about advocating for global access to healthcare, innovative technology, and therapy. Inspired by own health experiences as a child and watching my parents advocate for access to the right care, at the right time, with the right team, I am on a mission to advocate.?

As part of my mission, I always champion inclusive design that is informed by listening to diverse needs, and that supports a future where healthcare systems truly work, enabled through digital health technology and focused on keeping people well.

As I walked the floor at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I was struck by the vibrant spectrum of highly innovative technologies, including smart homes, consumer electronics and digital healthcare solutions.?The successful evolution of a connected future that can reshape the patient journey requires the health ecosystem to be open, nimble, and inclusive, and to welcome knowledge sharing from other digital ecosystems, like smart living, gaming and retail.

Technology’s Golden Age

I was honored to join a panel sponsored by the British Broadcasting System (BBC) Storyworks on Technology’s Golden Age, focused on how technological advancements can support all people of different backgrounds and abilities to enjoy not just more years in their life, but more life in their years. This must include all members of our society, like?

• seniors and their caregivers
• those with healthcare gaps
• those with affordability concerns
• those who live in rural areas with limited access to key tools like broadband, and more.?

In many ways, the full potential of the “Golden Age of Technology” will only be achieved at the patient level if we reshape our common future together: payers, providers, medical technology companies, regulators, policy makers – the full community that the patient relies on to support them must be committed to collective change.

During the panel, we discussed how the current system focuses on sick care, which in many cases means more expensive care. The future must shift to prioritizing preventive care – keeping people well by educating, and engaging with, them about their own health, long before they have symptoms of any kind. This is where digital health technologies can enable patients to receive the right care, at the right time and in an out-of-hospital setting, where true healing really happens.??

Realizing a Digital Transformation in Healthcare

Candidly, the promise of digital health will not be fully realized unless we address key design questions:?

• Who are we building the health ecosystem for??
• What are the critical principles that create access and enable innovation??
• How does an inclusive approach ensure that we are creating equitable access for all to participate in this future??
• How do we collectively support the achievement of health equity?
• How can we refocus systems to keep the whole person well instead of fragmented sick care?

At ResMed, we are supporting patient health through our digital monitoring technology that enables patients to change the way they interact with the healthcare system.?We had the honor to work with, Lisa, who is living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma. She shared her perspective on how technology from ResMed’s innovative health delivery asset, @Propeller Health, has supported her ability to live her life differently, instilled confidence in her future and empowered her to be more engaged in her care, all of which has helped Lisa do what she really loves – spend quality time with her family.

The Power of Storytelling in Healing

Why did we decide to tell Lisa’s story? It's powerful to see yourself, your journey, or a loved one’s journey in another. Real, authentic, human stories help us all better understand the impact that systems have on people, and they inspire us to make positive change.?As a person with asthma, I am personally inspired by Lisa; as a leader, I wanted to share her passion so that others could learn from her, share with others, and reflect on their own health journeys.?The best stories are true, and we wanted the world to hear hers.

To bring Lisa’s story to life, we are launching #ResMedPatientStories on YouTube. The curated stories create a strong visual connection by letting you hear the words in the storyteller’s voice, and the opportunity to experience their same feelings, like those Lisa had as she worked to reshape her life and future.?

There is not one way to tell a story; there are multiple ways to share the human condition and make the daily struggles of people with chronic respiratory disease like sleep apnea, COPD and asthma relatable.?For the second year in a row, we will be featuring an art installation at @ViVE 2023 in March, that manages to make the invisible visible, by visually representing nature of that struggle.

The Potential that 2023 Holds for Health Equity

As I was heading to the airport after CES 2023, I asked myself three questions:

• How can I continue to advocate for patient centric policy, design, access, affordability, and equity this year??
• How can I work across the broader healthcare space with my colleagues who want to create solution-oriented coalitions to advance our collective cause?
• How do we carry forward these critical discussions and maximize the unique opportunity of convening some of the brightest minds in one place like ViVE?