BRIEFING
DANIËL ERASMUS Insight Actuaries
Maps for healthcare What if Google maps could help me live longer?
‘You have reached your destination’
to the equivalent of a fold-out map with a single
This simple phrase has become the quintessential
curator of our journey, travel time and even the
theme of the modern travel experience. It marks
very destination we can aspire to reach from a
the end of millions of journeys every day as we
given diagnosis.
are guided via the blue thread on our LED screens
There are many reasons for this. Health is
through unfamiliar roads, towns, neighbourhoods
deeply personal, possibly embarrassing, extremely
and inner-city traffic jams. It has become the all-
complicated—and scary, especially when it starts
seeing eye of efficient navigation and the fortune
going downhill. Many also fear the risk of their data
teller of the estimated time of arrival.
being used against them with higher premiums,
The concept for Google maps came from an
lost job prospects and a host of other factors
Australian-based firm. The premise is simple: real-
being cited as potential pitfalls of data sharing.
time navigation, leveraging the experiences of
Google maps for healthcare?
others and their data to get you where you need to be, on time and via the most efficient route. Google maps can do this thanks to the symbiotic relationship between its users. That red portion of your route represents folks like you, that are currently stuck in traffic. We are all too happy to use their experiences and share our own to avoid that same jam. We willingly hand over control, share data and engage in the innovation that is Google Maps. In return we can see exactly which turnoff or side street we should take for the best outcome. Yet when it comes to healthcare, many shudder at the idea of sharing data. We revert
But what if we could interact with the healthcare system in the same way as we do with Google maps? What if we could plot a destination to the healthcare outcomes we aspire to achieve and plan the ideal route using the experiences of others like us to curate our own unique journey? That vision is coming into focus more and more with the growth in technology that can support our journey through the healthcare system, and the dawn (or rather the early morning) of the information age. Innovations abound, such as: • wearable digitised blood glucose monitors that enable a more active and safer life for diabetics; > The Health Advocate • AUGUST 2019
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