[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":349},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-screens-for-the-poor-human-connection-for-the-rich":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":189,"relatedBooks":348},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":33,"project_category":51,"contact_email_category":52,"yst_prominent_words":53,"class_list":61,"better_featured_image":87,"acf":124,"yoast_meta":133,"_links":136},24286,"2019-07-06T11:23:44","2019-07-06T09:23:44",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=24286&_wpnonce=d767a64b4a&status=auto-draft&type=post","2023-03-06T16:09:01","2023-03-06T15:09:01","screens-for-the-poor-human-connection-for-the-rich","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fscreens-for-the-poor-human-connection-for-the-rich",{"rendered":17},"Screens For The Poor, Human Connection For The Rich – Even In Healthcare?",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd> \u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Not so long ago, worries about the digital divide represented the anxiety that the rich will have access to more information and more possibilities in every area of life compared to those who cannot afford connected digital devices. Currently, trends show that human connection might become a luxury good for the rich, while poor families might not be able to afford to live screen-free in the future. We asked how would that translate into healthcare and what could we do to ensure the treasure of human contact to everyone in the coming decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Is digital detox becoming a luxury good?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Although the techno-dystopian sci-fi series’, Black Mirror’s season 5 did not meet fans’ high expectations, the Smithereens episode merits attention, especially because it contains a situation resembling too well the current attitude and position of the haves and have-nots towards technology. While the CEO of an imagined social media network, Smithereen, is on a 10-day-long retreat in the mountains without access to screens or technology, Chris, the main protagonist, a kind of Uber driver, kidnaps an intern of Smithereen out of unprocessed grief for her fiancée who was killed in a car accident. He feels guilty and feels responsible for what happened: he couldn’t take down his phone while driving and was checking a Smithereen notification on his phone when the incident took place. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The contrast is becoming part of our everyday lives\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>that the leader of a tech company has the means, the access, or the willingness to go on digital detox, while screens encircle average middle- or low-income people in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nngroup.com\u002Farticles\u002Fattention-economy\u002F\">attention economy\u003C\u002Fa> with little option to opt-out as the products are “free” or much cheaper than otherwise\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Celebrities in Hollywood, such as \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thecabinchiangmai.com\u002Fblog\u002Fdigitally-detoxing-celebrities\u002F\">Selena Gomez or Steven Spielberg\u003C\u002Fa>, at some point not long ago, said that they would take a break from screens, and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thecabinchiangmai.com\u002Fblog\u002Fdigitally-detoxing-celebrities\u002F\">Ed Sheeran joined their club saying\u003C\u002Fa> he wants to see the world through his own eyes, not screens. Techies in Silicon Valley are also joining their ranks by going to digital detox camps and advocating for less and less screen time. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.businessinsider.com\u002Fscreen-time-limits-bill-gates-steve-jobs-red-flag-2017-10\">Bill Gates already implemented a cap on screen time\u003C\u002Fa> for his daughter already back in 2007 – as he saw that the teenager was developing an unhealthy attachment to a video game. Thus, Silicon Valley elites and the haves are limiting their own screen time and that of their children, while average workers and students have more and more screens around them with fewer and fewer options to opt-out. How did we end up here and what could the future bring?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002FDigital-Detox-512x342.jpg\" alt=\"human connection\" class=\"wp-image-24288\"\u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.daddymindtricks.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>From paying line-standers for new smartphones to locking screens\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Do you remember when the first iPhone came out? Well, neither do we. It was already more than a decade ago, but we do remember the news that after a while, people lined up in long lines, sometimes with tents, in front of the Apple stores just to get it – and the more affluent even paid people to stand in line for them. \u003Cstrong>Having a smartphone alongside a high-tech laptop or personal computer at home has been considered for long as having a luxury good and having a higher social status. However, with the drop in the prices as well as the wide prevalence and the studies about the potentially harmful physiological and psychological effects of increased screen time, that status decreased significantly over the years\u003C\u002Fstrong>. As \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F23\u002Fsunday-review\u002Fhuman-contact-luxury-screens.html\">The New York Times notes in its excellent article\u003C\u002Fa>, the first Apple Mac shipped in 1984 and cost about 2,500 dollars (in today’s dollars, $6,000). Now the very best Chromebook laptop, according to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthewirecutter.com\u002F\">Wirecutter\u003C\u002Fa>, costs 470 dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The drop in price also means that in more and more cases, it is cheaper or more convenient to have a screen for a task than an employee. And of course, screens started to take over very human duties, too. For example, on every single flight, the cabin crew had the task to show passengers what to do in emergency situations. Usually, no one pays attention to it, and it must not be a very well-received task on the part of the flight attendants either. Lately, more and more airline switched to screens to show the sequence of how to use the oxygen mask. Screens appeared in fast food restaurant chains to order food even faster than before, you run in front of screens in the gym, have them in the metro stations, and meet them even in schools or the doctor’s office. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"252\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002FSchool-Pupils-With-Tablets-512x252.jpg\" alt=\"human connection\" class=\"wp-image-24289\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002FSchool-Pupils-With-Tablets-512x252.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002FSchool-Pupils-With-Tablets-768x378.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002FSchool-Pupils-With-Tablets.jpg 1356w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.theconversation.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The prevalence of screen-based education, especially in middle- and low-income communities in the U.S. started to take on a huge extent and the trend shows no slowing down\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F26\u002Fstyle\u002Fdigital-divide-screens-schools.html\">For example\u003C\u002Fa>, Utah has been rolling out a \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.washingtonpost.com\u002Flocal\u002Feducation\u002Fpreschool-is-good-for-poor-kids-but-its-expensive-so-utah-is-offering-it-online\u002F2015\u002F10\u002F09\u002F27665e52-5e1d-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html?utm_term=.846ddd000d48\" target=\"_blank\">state-funded online-only preschool\u003C\u002Fa>, now serving around\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.waterford.org\u002Fwaterfords-upstart-program-grows-approximately-10000-children-utah\u002F\" target=\"_blank\"> 10,000 children\u003C\u002Fa>. Organizers announced that the screen-based preschool effort would expand in 2019 with a federal grant to Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana. \u003Cstrong>At the same time, the leaders of Silicon Valley companies and the parents in affluent neighborhoods are going back to preschools with limited or no screen time, but wooden toys and playgroups\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Research by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit media watchdog already shows that lower-income teenagers spend an average of eight hours and seven minutes a day using screens for entertainment, while higher income peers spend five hours and 42 minutes. That trend shows that children of poorer and middle-class parents might be raised by screens in the future, while the children of Silicon Valley’s elite might be going back to the luxury of human interaction. That’s worrying because \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F23\u002Fsunday-review\u002Fhuman-contact-luxury-screens.html\">research shows\u003C\u002Fa> that the brain of children who spend a lot of time in front of screens develops differently. In addition, some worry about increased depression rates, others link it to less developed social skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What\nabout healthcare?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Due to the serious shortage in medical professionals\nworldwide, the high costs of healthcare services, as well as the physical and\npsychological burden of care professions on providers, digital technology and\nscreens will be expected to have a much bigger role in healthcare in the\nfuture. \u003Cstrong>But should we expect a similar gap\nto open between the haves and the have nots when it comes to medical issues? \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Unfortunately, the response in some cases is yes\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Consider the development of health apps, symptom checkers, or chatbots. Based on artificial intelligence coupled with common medical knowledge, these tools could be of tremendous help to both medical professionals and patients. They could help self-diagnose in simple cases and thus, patients won’t need to spend time at the doctor’s office. With the help of connected devices, wearables, and sensors, patients have the chance to manage their conditions in a much easier and more efficient way. Telemedical services enable communities without appropriate specialists or in remote corners of the world to have medical advice and don’t need to travel long distances. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot-512x288.png\" alt=\"Google in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-20750\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot-512x288.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot-444x250.png 444w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F06\u002F012_health_chatbot.png 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How\ndoes the widening gap in screen time translate into healthcare? \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As a consequence, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftop-12-health-chatbots\">health chatbots\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-big-symptom-checker-review\">symptom checker apps\u003C\u002Fa>, and other A.I.-based healthcare apps are expected to\nspread out more in the future and they have the reasonable promise to become\nthe first line in primary care. \u003Cstrong>Patients\nwill most likely consult their symptom checkers and later on, their chatbots,\nabout their symptoms first, and they will be referred to a human doctor only in\ncase they have more serious issues. A medical visit might become more costly in\nthe future, and those with lower incomes might not be able to afford this form\nof human contact.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftop-telemedicine-solutions-bringing-patients-doctors-closer\">Telemedicine and remote consultation\u003C\u002Fa> could also be a more frequently used option for\nmiddle- and low-income patients than personal medical visits, especially in\nspecialties such as psychology or psychiatry that don’t necessitate the patient\nto physically be at the place of the treatment. Coupled with mental health\napps, the have nots might experience in the future that their psychological\nproblems are taken care of by screens rather than humans. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In elderly care, the appearance of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-top-12-social-companion-robots\">social companion robots\u003C\u002Fa>, as well as virtual digital assistants, are also expected – so that inhabitants of care homes don’t feel alone. While it’s not the same as having a human around all day long, it is much much better than having the feeling of being left behind and not taken care of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Flynx-robot-512x288.jpg\" alt=\"social companion robots\" class=\"wp-image-21354\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Flynx-robot-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Flynx-robot-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Flynx-robot-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Flynx-robot.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: cnet.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>How\ncould this trend appear globally?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>A\ndifference might also evolve between developing and developed countries when it\ncomes to the divide between people who will have the luxury of a human doctor\nand the ones who will have to settle for screens and virtual aids. While in\ndeveloped countries there might be a widening gap between the haves and\nhave-nots when it comes to real or virtual healthcare services, in developing\ncountries, the choice might be more straightforward: virtual healthcare\nservices or no medical care at all.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As it is painfully visible, for example \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fafrica-hotspot-digital-health\">in the case of Africa\u003C\u002Fa>, many corners of the continent lack the infrastructure to provide even basic health care to many of its people. There are hardly any doctors or nurses, only a handful of good hospitals and appropriate hospital beds; there is a lack of medical devices. One of the poorest countries in the world, Mozambique, has just 548 doctors for a population of more than 22 million. It is even more difficult to speak about specialists. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rvo.nl\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002FMarket_Study_Health_Nigeria.pdf\">estimates there are about 25 consultant oncologists to approximately 160 million Nigerians\u003C\u002Fa>, while there is \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-future-pathology\u002F\">only one pathologist for every 700,000 patient in Sudan\u003C\u002Fa>. In Uganda, the job is basically non-existent: statistics enumerate 1,555,000 patients per pathologist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Under such circumstances coupled with the incredible speed of mobile penetration – by 2020, there will be \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2016\u002Fjul\u002F25\u002Fcan-the-internet-reboot-africa\">more than 700m smartphone connections in Africa\u003C\u002Fa> – the appearance of health apps, symptom checkers, telemedical services, seem to be inevitable and badly needed. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2015\u002F01\u002F3-ways-to-improve-healthcare-in-africa\u002F\">Around 27,000 government health workers in Uganda use a mobile health system called mTRAC to report on medicine stocks across the country\u003C\u002Fa>. Mobile \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Finsights.samsung.com\u002F2016\u002F08\u002F02\u002Fhow-mobile-penetration-is-increasing-access-to-healthcare-in-sub-saharan-africa\u002F\">healthcare solutions\u003C\u002Fa> such as Kenya’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fdisrupt-africa.com\u002F2015\u002F06\u002Fkenyas-miti-health-hopes-for-unreasonable-access-to-mentors-markets\u002F\">Miti Health\u003C\u002Fa> and Ghana’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fmpedigree.net\u002F\">mPedigree\u003C\u002Fa> are helping to improve the drug supply chain by validating prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. UK-based \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.babylonhealth.com\u002F\">Babylon Health\u003C\u002Fa> established a feature phone-based health service in Rwanda, which they are expanding across the entire country. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What these developments mean is that some developing countries could become entirely “addicted” to screens and technology as they won’t get necessary services otherwise. That might not only happen in healthcare but also regarding education or public administration. So what would happen to African kids’ brains playing on tablets all day long in school and then going home to the shanty towns?\u003C\u002Fstrong> Do Western technology developers who bring their high-tech digital screens to Africa have a response to this question? How should we proceed in the future to have the advantages of these technologies and mitigate their dark sides? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FThe-Promise-of-Digital-Health-in-Africa-512x342.jpg\" alt=\"The Promise of Digital Health in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-21686\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FThe-Promise-of-Digital-Health-in-Africa-512x342.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FThe-Promise-of-Digital-Health-in-Africa-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FThe-Promise-of-Digital-Health-in-Africa.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.path.org\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The future of healthcare will become largely screen-based in the future due to many factors, such as global doctor shortages, rising population numbers and civilizational diseases, the prevalence of digital technologies, and the rising costs of healthcare. Screens that connect us to the information superhighway are bridges that could lead to positive or negative outcomes – depending on the users, on us.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Thus, our task is to start to deal with technologies more consciously and learn where the place of screens and technologies could be in our life. That’s incredibly difficult, especially because tech developers and other big players of the attention economy have contrasting interests. They want everyone to spend as much time in front of screens as possible, but we should go against those interests and strengthen the voices which advocate humane technology development. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>We entirely support efforts to place back the real needs of humans in the center when it comes to screens and to figure out where we could find a healthy space for screens, while not widening the divide in society further but doing what social media platforms promise to do: connecting communities in meaningful ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Not so long ago, worries about the digital divide represented the anxiety that the rich will have access to more information and more possibilities in every area of life compared to those who cannot afford connected digital devices. Currently, trends show that human connection might become a luxury good for the rich, while poor families might not be able to afford living screen-free in the future. We asked how would that translate into healthcare and what could we do to ensure the treasure of human contact to everyone in the coming decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,24290,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32],511,521,[34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50],1412,926,1413,1029,1414,1057,1203,1205,133,1407,275,1408,406,1409,425,1410,1411,[],[],[54,55,56,57,58,59,60],1571,1593,1683,1721,1723,1883,2077,[62,14,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86],"post-24286","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bioethics","category-future-medicine","tag-rich","tag-society","tag-poor","tag-development","tag-low-income","tag-human","tag-smart","tag-screen","tag-addiction","tag-human-connection","tag-healthcare","tag-human-contact","tag-smartphone","tag-divide","tag-technology-2","tag-gap","tag-inequality",{"id":24,"alt_text":88,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":89,"media_details":90,"post":5,"source_url":123},"human connection","image",{"width":91,"height":92,"file":93,"sizes":94,"image_meta":121},1920,1080,"2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society.png",{"medium":95,"large":101,"thumbnail":106,"medium_large":110,"1536x1536":111,"2048x2048":116},{"file":96,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":99,"source_url":100},"095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-370x208.png",{"file":102,"width":103,"height":104,"mime-type":99,"source_url":105},"095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-768x432.png",{"file":107,"width":108,"height":108,"mime-type":99,"source_url":109},"095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-150x150.png",{"file":102,"width":103,"height":104,"mime-type":99,"source_url":105},{"file":112,"width":113,"height":114,"mime-type":99,"source_url":115},"095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-1536x864.png",{"file":117,"width":118,"height":119,"mime-type":99,"source_url":120},"095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-2048x1152.png","2048","1152","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-2048x1152.png",{"aperture":122,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":122,"copyright":27,"focal_length":122,"iso":122,"shutter_speed":122,"title":27,"orientation":122},"0","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F07\u002F095_Screen-addiction-dividing-society-scaled.png",{"related_posts":125,"related_posts_footer":129,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[126,127,128],11980,16063,24101,[130,131,132],20658,21678,21665,{"yoast_wpseo_title":134,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":135,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Screens For The Poor, Human Connection For The Rich - Even In Healthcare? - The Medical Futurist","Human connection might become a luxury good, while the poor might not be able to live screen-free in the future. How would that translate into healthcare?",{"self":137,"collection":143,"about":146,"author":149,"replies":152,"version-history":155,"predecessor-version":159,"wp:featuredmedia":163,"wp:attachment":166,"wp:term":169,"curies":185},[138],{"href":139,"targetHints":140},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24286",{"allow":141},[142],"GET",[144],{"href":145},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[147],{"href":148},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[150],{"embeddable":26,"href":151},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[153],{"embeddable":26,"href":154},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=24286",[156],{"count":157,"href":158},7,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24286\u002Frevisions",[160],{"id":161,"href":162},49839,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24286\u002Frevisions\u002F49839",[164],{"embeddable":26,"href":165},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F24290",[167],{"href":168},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=24286",[170,173,176,179,182],{"taxonomy":171,"embeddable":26,"href":172},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=24286",{"taxonomy":174,"embeddable":26,"href":175},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=24286",{"taxonomy":177,"embeddable":26,"href":178},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=24286",{"taxonomy":180,"embeddable":26,"href":181},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=24286",{"taxonomy":183,"embeddable":26,"href":184},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=24286",[186],{"name":187,"href":188,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[190],{"id":132,"date":191,"date_gmt":192,"guid":193,"modified":195,"modified_gmt":196,"slug":197,"status":13,"type":14,"link":198,"title":199,"content":201,"excerpt":203,"author":23,"featured_media":205,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":20,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":206,"categories":207,"tags":211,"project_category":226,"contact_email_category":229,"yst_prominent_words":230,"class_list":235,"better_featured_image":256,"acf":295,"yoast_meta":303,"_links":306},"2018-08-23T12:00:18","2018-08-23T10:00:18",{"rendered":194},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F","2022-05-25T18:13:12","2022-05-25T16:13:12","how-do-guatemalan-midwives-and-smartphones-come-together","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhow-do-guatemalan-midwives-and-smartphones-come-together",{"rendered":200},"How Do Guatemalan Midwives And Smartphones Come Together?",{"rendered":202,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A scarcity of infrastructure, a lack of resources for healthcare development or non-existent window opportunities for talented developers cement low-resource regions in their state for decades. The Medical Futurist argues that disruptive digital health innovations as technology transfers through collaborations are the safest and fastest way out. These are cheap and creative solutions with low-key infrastructural needs embedded into the socio-economic background, just like the examples below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Leap instead of gradual development\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Technology transfer means the adaptation of best practices and technical know-how to an environment where the given technology has no roots and context. While in the original setting, the specific innovation was the result of organic development and stemmed from unique socio-economic conditions, the technology to be transferred will constitute an alien solution in the new environment. Naturally, the process has its advantages and disadvantages in the scene where the given innovation will be adopted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It does not have to go through the experimentation, trial-and-error phase which usually follows the innovation cycle. There will be a ready-to-use technology to be adapted to the local environment. That means leaving out many stages of development and jumping from a probably underdeveloped status into futuristic, high-tech scenarios. On the other hand, it will be entirely alien to the receiving socio-economic conditions, and its rejection is more likely if there’s no guidance to it. Thus, it has to be embedded into communities through up-skilling and partnerships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Keeping the challenges of technology transfer in mind, \u003Cstrong>The Medical Futurist argues that in the area of healthcare, many low-resource regions are stuck in the state of poor infrastructure, lack of financial or human resources and opportunities, but \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fafrica-hotspot-digital-health\">high-tech solutions\u003C\u002Fa> with minimal infrastructural and learning needs could achieve positive and lasting change\u003C\u002Fstrong>. The following examples prove our point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-21666\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"645\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FHealth-Innovations-in-Rural-India.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21666\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FHealth-Innovations-in-Rural-India.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FHealth-Innovations-in-Rural-India-768x569.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FHealth-Innovations-in-Rural-India-512x380.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.manjarifoundation.in\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>1) Supporting midwives in Guatemala via smartphones\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Guatemala has one of the worst maternal mortality ratios in the world. According to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.prb.org\u002Fmaternalmortalityinguatemalaapreventabletragedy\u002F\">a study of the US Population Reference Bureau\u003C\u002Fa>, in 2000, two women died from pregnancy-related causes every day in this Central American nation of 12 million people, where the total fertility rate is estimated at roughly five children per woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As the mobile phone penetration is over 100 percent, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpubmed\u002F27696915\u002F\">researchers proposed a smartphone-based system\u003C\u002Fa> including peripheral sensors, such as a handheld Doppler for supporting illiterate birth attendants, e.g. by the identification of fetal compromise, to address the lack of decision support in rural Guatemala. The scheme uses pictograms, audio guidance, local and cloud processing, SMS alerts and voice calling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-21667\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"696\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FUnderstanding-Guatemala.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21667\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FUnderstanding-Guatemala.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FUnderstanding-Guatemala-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FUnderstanding-Guatemala-512x410.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.understandingtheguatemalanpatient.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>2) The Inuit\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong> community using telemedicine\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Ftop-telemedicine-solutions-bringing-patients-doctors-closer\">Telehealth platforms allow people living in remote areas to still get proper care\u003C\u002Fa> and only visit the GP if absolutely necessary. Moreover, medical professionals in rural towns and remote areas can have access to specialty services, and patients can be treated in their own communities. It’s a win-win scenario.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Ole Eichhorn, CTO of a Californian telehealth company, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.intouchhealth.com\">InTouch Health\u003C\u002Fa> told The Medical Futurist that they have a physician group serving Inuit populations living in the Arctic. Many of these people live in cities which are entirely inaccessible except via dog sleds and seaplanes landing on ice. Bringing emergency medical expertise to these communities via telemedicine has been life-changing, and without exception, they have embraced it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-21668\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FPeoples-of-the-North.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21668\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FPeoples-of-the-North.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FPeoples-of-the-North-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FPeoples-of-the-North-512x341.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.northernforum.org\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>3) Mobil phone-based program for prenatal care in Nepal\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nepal’s Health Ministry has been supporting mobile phone-based health interventions as similarly to Guatemala, the mobile phone ownership rate in the country is skyrocketing. Kathmandu indicated its support for \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicmobile.org\u002F\">Medic Mobile\u003C\u002Fa>, a digital health decision support provider, to scale up its feature-phone-based program to the already running female community health volunteer framework to better address both prenatal care and maternal health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The project was launched last year with a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nepalisansar.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhealthcare-nepal-goes-digital\u002F\">mobile application and SMS services\u003C\u002Fa>, and they aim to track pregnant mothers and to assist them in their regular antenatal visits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-21669\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FNepal-mobile-phones.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21669\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FNepal-mobile-phones.jpg 640w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FNepal-mobile-phones-512x341.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Young villagers charge their mobile phones from a generator in the destroyed village of Paslang near the epicenter of the massive earthquake in the Gorkha District of Nepal, April 28, 2015. (AP). Source: www.blogs.voanews.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>4) Making prosthetic limbs for amputees in Haiti with 3D printing\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Haiti has an unusually \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.humanosphere.org\u002Fglobal-health\u002F2017\u002F06\u002F3d-printer-technology-project-makes-prosthetic-limbs-for-amputees-in-haiti\u002F\">large number of amputees as a result of the 2010 earthquake\u003C\u002Fa>, which killed more than 200,000 people and caused injuries that required amputations in other 4,000 cases. In addition, the Central-American country completely lacks the infrastructure for providing the appropriate services alongside with the necessary prosthetic devices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A non-profit organization, LimbForge, wants to change the situation: it is training humanitarian NGOs and local clinicians to create affordable and culturally-appropriate prosthetics using a 3D printer. The prosthetics are produced from flexible plastic, which takes 16 to 20 hours to print and cost somewhere between $8 to $14 for the raw materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-21670\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F3D-Printing-Umbilical-Cord-Clamps-in-Haiti.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21670\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F3D-Printing-Umbilical-Cord-Clamps-in-Haiti.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F3D-Printing-Umbilical-Cord-Clamps-in-Haiti-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F3D-Printing-Umbilical-Cord-Clamps-in-Haiti-768x429.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F3D-Printing-Umbilical-Cord-Clamps-in-Haiti-512x286.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>3D Printing Umbilical Cord Clamps in Haiti. Source: www.makezine.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>5) India is developing its medical drone delivery system\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmedical-drones\">Medical drones are excellent solutions for delivering medication, blood or first aid kits\u003C\u002Fa> in regions where there are no roads for emergency services to drive through to patients or the normal way of transport would take too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In 2016, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fmoney.cnn.com\u002F2016\u002F10\u002F13\u002Ftechnology\u002Frwanda-drone-hospital\u002F\">the Rwandan government teamed up with Zipline, a medical drone manufacturing company\u003C\u002Fa> to deliver medical supplies to five of its hospitals, and they are constantly expanding their services. In July 2018, newspapers reported that \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thehindu.com\u002Fnews\u002Fcities\u002FHyderabad\u002Fdrone-delivery-system-for-medicines\u002Farticle24484366.ece\">the Indian Institute of Public Health – Hyderabad (IIPH-H) is developing a drone delivery system\u003C\u002Fa> for medicines with a temperature-controlled payload box, which would surmount terrain hurdles and cut delivery time. The IIPH-H has partnered with the Johns Hopkins University, the Silicon Valley-based drone startup Dronadu, as well as Michigan-based drone manufacturer \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vayu.us\u002F\">Vayu\u003C\u002Fa> to deliver its promises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-21671\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FDrones-in-India.jpg\" alt=\"digital health innovations\" class=\"wp-image-21671\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FDrones-in-India.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FDrones-in-India-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FDrones-in-India-512x306.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: geospatialworld.net\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As the above examples show, in many cases, digital health innovations are implemented in partnership with the local government – to adjust the technology to the environment adequately. Moreover, as these disruptive or frugal innovations are way faster and more efficient than the methods applied before – or the local conditions in general, it is better if policy-makers or NGOs in partnership with digital health companies help populations understand their application. This seems to be a valid way to improve healthcare systems in low-resource regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u=5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3&id=efd6a3cd08\">\u003Cb>Subscribe To The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":204,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>A scarcity of infrastructure, a lack of resources for healthcare development or non-existent window opportunities for talented developers cement low-resource regions in their state for decades. The Medical Futurist argues that disruptive digital health innovations as technology transfers through collaborations are the safest and fastest way out. These are cheap and creative solutions with low-key infrastructural needs embedded into the socio-economic background, just like the examples below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",21675,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[32,208,209,210],499,497,494,[212,213,214,215,216,44,217,218,219,220,221,222,46,223,224,225],1027,207,211,723,246,289,1021,304,1022,313,1023,1024,1025,1026,[227,228],952,953,[],[54,231,58,232,59,233,234],1617,1729,2133,2845,[236,14,63,64,65,66,67,69,237,238,239,240,241,242,243,244,80,245,246,247,248,249,250,82,251,252,253,254,255],"post-21665","category-healthcare-design","category-portable-diagnostics","category-telemedicine","tag-low-resource","tag-digital-health","tag-disruptive","tag-telemedicine","tag-future","tag-innovation","tag-mobile-phone","tag-medical","tag-asia","tag-medicine","tag-guatemala","tag-south-america","tag-nepal","tag-technology-transfer","project_category-policy-makers","project_category-researchers",{"id":205,"alt_text":257,"caption":258,"description":27,"media_type":89,"media_details":259,"post":132,"source_url":294},"Future of healthcare","Man standing on bathroom scale --- Image by © Noel Hendrickson\u002FBlend Images\u002FCorbis",{"width":260,"height":261,"file":262,"sizes":263,"image_meta":292},870,670,"2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist.jpg",{"medium":264,"large":270,"thumbnail":275,"medium_large":279,"large_old_512x394":280,"thumbnail_old_150x150":285,"medium_old_370x208":286,"medium_large_old_768x591":287,"large_old_512x394_old_512x394":289},{"file":265,"width":266,"height":267,"mime-type":268,"source_url":269},"Future-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-370x208.jpg",{"file":271,"width":272,"height":273,"mime-type":268,"source_url":274},"Future-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-768x591.jpg",768,591,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-768x591.jpg",{"file":276,"width":277,"height":277,"mime-type":268,"source_url":278},"Future-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-150x150.jpg",{"file":271,"width":272,"height":273,"mime-type":268,"source_url":274},{"file":281,"width":282,"height":283,"mime-type":268,"source_url":284},"Future-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-512x394.jpg",512,394,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist-512x394.jpg",{"file":276,"width":108,"height":108,"mime-type":268,"source_url":278},{"file":265,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":268,"source_url":269},{"file":271,"width":103,"height":288,"mime-type":268,"source_url":274},"591",{"file":281,"width":290,"height":291,"mime-type":268,"source_url":284},"512","394",{"aperture":122,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":122,"copyright":27,"focal_length":122,"iso":122,"shutter_speed":122,"title":27,"orientation":122,"keywords":293},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F08\u002FFuture-of-a-Medical-Camp-by-The-Medical-Futurist.jpg",{"related_posts":296,"related_posts_footer":299,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[130,297,298],13395,21623,[300,301,302],10992,16189,14723,{"yoast_wpseo_title":304,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":305,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":198},"Digital Health Innovations in Low-Resource Regions - The Medical Futurist","Disruptive digital health innovations as technology transfers through collaborations can improve the medical state of low-resource regions. Let's see how.",{"self":307,"collection":312,"about":314,"author":316,"replies":318,"version-history":321,"predecessor-version":325,"wp:featuredmedia":329,"wp:attachment":332,"wp:term":335,"curies":346},[308],{"href":309,"targetHints":310},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F21665",{"allow":311},[142],[313],{"href":145},[315],{"href":148},[317],{"embeddable":26,"href":151},[319],{"embeddable":26,"href":320},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=21665",[322],{"count":323,"href":324},16,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F21665\u002Frevisions",[326],{"id":327,"href":328},46469,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F21665\u002Frevisions\u002F46469",[330],{"embeddable":26,"href":331},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F21675",[333],{"href":334},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=21665",[336,338,340,342,344],{"taxonomy":171,"embeddable":26,"href":337},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=21665",{"taxonomy":174,"embeddable":26,"href":339},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=21665",{"taxonomy":177,"embeddable":26,"href":341},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=21665",{"taxonomy":180,"embeddable":26,"href":343},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=21665",{"taxonomy":183,"embeddable":26,"href":345},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=21665",[347],{"name":187,"href":188,"templated":26},[],1789238001322]