At-Home Diagnostic Tools Give Medical Device Manufactures a New Way to Connect With Consumers | Deloitte US has been saved
By Greg Reh, vice chairman, US and Global Life Sciences leader, Deloitte LLP
One of the earliest known at-home diagnostic tests dates back to Egypt in about 1350 BCE. It was a pregnancy test that relied on wheat and barley seeds, rather than a plastic stick, to make a diagnosis. In the early 1960s, researchers determined this ancient test would have been accurate about 70 percent of the time.1
Fast forward 3,300 years to today as we head to AdvaMed’s annual medtech conference where the latest at-home diagnostics will certainly be a topic of conversation. We have entered an era where everything from a person’s ancestry to his or her complete microbiome can be deciphered from the genetic information contained on a cotton swab or in a drop of blood. A growing awareness about the health benefits of preventive care and early diagnosis is helping fuel demand for at-home diagnostic tools that can detect an array of illnesses and conditions. According to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website, home tests can be cost-effective, quick, and confidential. But the agency notes that such tests should not replace periodic visits to the doctor.
Consumers are becoming comfortable with DIY medical tests
Consumers are increasingly open to new channels of care—particularly at-home diagnostic testing, according to the results of our new survey of health care consumers. About half of this year’s survey respondents said they are comfortable using an at-home test to diagnose infections (e.g., strep throat and urinary tract infections) before going to the doctor for treatment. Nearly as many—45 percent—said they would consider an at-home genetic test to identify existing or future health risks, and 44 percent are comfortable using an at-home blood test that connects to an app to track overall health trends, such as cholesterol, blood glucose, inflammation, and triglycerides. We also found that the number of consumers who use wearables to track their health data has more than doubled since 2013—and consumers have become more comfortable with sharing their data. Forty percent of health care consumers said they would share their health data with a device manufacturer if it helped improve the device.
Five conditions consumers could test at home
As at-home diagnostic testing becomes more accepted, medical-device manufacturers might have an opportunity to strengthen the relationship they have with consumers and their physicians. Increasingly sophisticated tools have the potential to improve health outcomes through faster diagnoses, 24/7 access to health coaching, and the ability to recognize mood and lifestyle changes that could affect adherence to a treatment plan. Moreover, DIY diagnostic tests could help low-income or rural consumers determine if a condition warrants a visit to a doctor or hospital.
Many device manufacturers are developing tools, tests, and apps along a continuum of wellness and prevention—ranging from acute diagnosis and chronic-disease management to identifying future risks of illness. Here’s a look at some areas where device manufacturers are innovating:
In ancient Egypt, physicians diagnosed their patients and recommended treatments based on observable symptoms. This level of care, however, was generally reserved for royalty and the wealthy. Today, many medical device manufacturers are developing a wide range of low-cost tools that allow anyone to assess their overall health status, or to identify a growing number of existing or potential illnesses. As these devices become more prevalent, clinicians should determine how to decode the information from these new data streams and use it to improve diagnoses, care, and outcomes. Partnerships between medical device manufactures (including EHR vendors) and providers could potentially help this effort.
Endnotes
* Apple Watch® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
1 National Institutes of Health, a Timeline of Pregnancy Testing. https://history.nih.gov/exhibits/thinblueline/timeline.html
2 FDA press release, March 6, 2018 (https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm599560.htm)
3 https://www.apple.com/watch/
4 https://www.alivecor.com/how-it-works/
5 https://knowyourcor.com/
6 https://www.daytwo.com/
7 https://ubiome.com/
8 https://www.viome.com/
Greg serves as the Deloitte Global Life Sciences & Health Care Industry Leader. In this role, he advises life sciences and health care clients and practice leaders within Deloitte’s global network; and is responsible for the overall industry group that conducts research and provides consulting, advisory, tax and audit services to clients in the industry. The global life sciences and health care industry group is comprised of over 20,000 colleagues in more than 90 countries that work with pharmaceutical, biotech, medtech, payer, provider and government clients. Greg also leads Deloitte’s relationship with one the world’s largest health care companies, which entails enabling and coordinating client teams around the world. Prior to his current roles, he served as the US life sciences leader; and as the global life sciences leader. Greg’s experience over the last 27 years includes working with multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical manufacturing organizations where he led consulting engagements in support of regulatory, clinical, commercial and manufacturing operations. His engagements focused on technology strategy and solution development; business-technology enabled transformation and the management of change. Prior to his consulting career Greg held positions at a government research lab, where he led teams in the design and development of life support devices; and was a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. Greg holds an MS from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BSME from Drexel University.