Technology with the Potential to Lower Health Care Costs:

Preventative medicine and psychological wellness can be improved by internet based, personal feedback programs without a health professional, according a review article in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (1). Such programs often use technology that allows alcoholics to record the amount of alcohol they consume, which is often greater than they think, and compare it to the amount the average person drinks. This single-session, personal feedback session, low-cost because of the lack of a professional in most cases, was found to be effective, according to the review article, which reviewed publications of 14 studies. If these programs can get alcoholics to recognize they have a problem and seek further help, drunk driving, domestic violence, liver disease, and many other personal and public health issues can be averted.

Trusted.MD, a medical blog (2), discusses the possibility of microcomputers and biosensors that monitor vital signs to determine how patients are reacting to medication, and predict acute symptoms before they occur, reducing the need for 911 calls and emergency hospital visits. These mobile sensors and processors could use existing cellphone networks to interface with doctors.

Technology can do specific medical tasks better than health professionals, at a drastically reduced cost. Physiological data monitoring technology can monitor patients around the clock, and can warn them about changing or abnormal findings. Internet based, personal feedback programs might be more likely to be used by alcoholics than full scale sessions with health professionals and rehabilitation programs.

Sources:

1. Curbing Problem Drinking with Personalized-Feedback Interventions: A Meta-Analysis. Heleen Riper, PhD, MSc, Annemieke van Straten, PhD, Max Keuken, BSc, Filip Smit, PhD, Gerard Schippers, PhD, Pim Cuijpers, PhD. 2009 Mar;36(3):247-55. American Journal of Preventative Medicine

2. “Will Medical Technology Reduce Healthcare Costs?” Adrienne Carlson, Trusted.MD Network, http://trusted.md/feed/items/mdjosephkim/2009/08/08/will_medical_technology_reduce_healthcare_costs. Note; this is a medical blog site, not a scientific journal.