Self-Enabled Care
Whenever someone asks me what the future of healthcare looks like, I always say: Self-enabled.
This a term a first came across from Population Services International at the beginning of the pandemic. I use “self-enabled care” to distinguish from the headlines of “self care” that we see in mass media. Taking a shower or going for a walk is definitely a form of taking care of yourself, but for me, self-enabled care is about safely and effectively moving healthcare tools from the healthcare system into the hands of individuals.
The COVID19 pandemic supercharged this shift. With at home COVID19 testing kits being sent to every household in America, we all had an opportunity to play our own diagnostician. At the same time, we saw the market for at home testing from companies like Everlywell increase, and a a new focus on personalized medicine that could be done from the comfort of your home with companies likes Function. Care at home is not a new concept, but being capable and feeling confident in our ability to take care of own health is something that I think we’re just scratching the surface of.
One of the biggest developments in self-enabled care is the FDA-authorization of Opill — the first OTC birth control pill available in the US. It doesn’t require a prescription. Rather than going to a doctor’s office, waiting your turn to speak to a provider, being rushed through your 15 minute appointment, given the prescription, going to a pharmacy, waiting for your prescription and finally getting the medication, you can skip all that and just grab what you need at the grocery store like you would any other item. Milk, bread, and oral contraception — it can be that simple!
Self-enabled care is where healthcare tools are user friendly, safe, effective and empowering. Diagnostics is one of the biggest areas for self-enabled care, but I’m eager to see more treatments and preventative measures become self-enabled.
For instance, vaccines still require a trip to a provider. It’s gotten a lot easier since COVID, but if you own livestock you might be familiar with the ability to buy vaccines at the local feed store and administer them yourself. I personally have administered intramuscular medications and vaccines into horses (which does require some practice and patience), and buying flu-rhino or west nile virus vaccines for $30 at the local Tractor Supply was very straightforward. I’m not suggesting we all start injecting ourselves with animal grade vaccines, but developments in vaccine delivery mechanisms, such as nasal sprays, means we’re seeing more self-enabled innovations become available.
Just as most of us have bandaids and anti-biotic cream stashed somewhere in the house, self-enabled care can lessen the burden we have on an already overwhelmed healthcare system and make healthy living possible. Illness and injuries happen. There’s no question about that. But instead of expecting our healthcare system and providers to solve every issue, we can reclaim healing as our own right. With the right self-enabled health innovations, we can self-heal.
I’m particularly excited to see self-enabled triage take off. While many insured individuals have access to nurse hotlines that can help them determine where to get care, I still think we can improve the experience. One of the issues of determining where to get care in the US is that each care facility has different capabilities, so you may go to an urgent care for a broken bone only to find you need to go to the ER because the urgent care doesn’t have an x-ray on site. And then when you do make it to the ER, you’re waiting hours for treatment due to patient volume and need. What could have been a 2 hour visit quickly becomes 8. Self-enabled triage would make it easier to determine if you need to go to an ER, wait for an appointment or if there’s some easy remedy available to you at home. This is where AI could be super helpful, perhaps transforming our smart phones into Star Trek tri-corders
Self-enabled care has received a fair amount of attention from healthcare professionals and policymakers, but I hope we see a growing interest from individuals for more self-enabling care innovations. How soon till we can diagnose endometriosis at home or take xrays with our phones?
These innovation are right around the corner — if we know what to look for.
Ari Mostov is a healthcare narrative strategist. She works with healthcare innovators to craft irresistible futures. Learn more www.wellplay.world
