Synopsis

Our Journey: How Digital Health Communities Helped Us Through One Of The Hardest Times Of Our Lives

Ten years ago my wife told me she was pregnant for the first time. We were excited. Briefly. What followed was one of the most difficult experiences of our lives. Within a couple of weeks, she was nauseous and vomiting. So badly, in fact, that she had to quit her job almost immediately.

This presentation tells our story. How we learned over time to influence the care we received in hospital by the language that we used. The many compassionate staff, often working against the system. The models of care that suited the system but not us.

I will also explore the critical role that Digital Health Communities played in our care. The way that other people from across the world, with experience of the condition, encouraged us, listened to us, told their stories and gave wise advice. These communities were “healthcare” every bit as much as the formal health services that we received.

The Digital Health Guide: Bridging the digital divide between engaged patients and health providers

In July 2016, Semantic Consulting developed a Digital Health Strategy for Primary Health Tasmania (PHT). The strategy included a focus on the need to assist General Practitioners in supporting the growing number of patients and caregivers using mobile health apps and digital health solutions.

In response to this identified need, Semantic Consulting partnered with HealthCare Software to develop the Digital Health Guide, an online resource where health providers can access the latest information about digital health solutions (including both mobile health apps and digital health communities) – who created them, what they do, what evidence exists to support their efficacy, and how good different groups of stakeholders think they are.

The Digital Health Guide was designed specifically for health providers, in order to enable them to assist patients and caregivers in navigating the confusing and rapidly changing digital health solutions market. It supports the following key use cases:

• Health providers who want to understand the current mobile health app or digital health solution that a patient is already using
• Health providers who want to “prescribe” the use of an appropriate mobile health app or digital health solution.

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