Health IT, Patient Engagement

Johnson & Johnson’s new health risk assessment product aimed at improving user health by asking the right questions

Sometimes a simple health assessment tool or questionnaire is too broad or too specific, leaving less room for successful outcomes. This is where Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions is trying to fill a void.

Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions, which focuses on behavior modification and consumer engagement through digital health coaching, has revealed a new product, My Health Discovery. It is a digital health assessment application provided through insurance companies and designed for users to have better success in improving their health.

The goal in developing this concept was to identify the right questions to ask users in order to have more realistic and accurate goals for improving one’s lifestyle.

In an interview with MedCity News, Tyler Steben, who leads mobile solutions for this Johnson & Johnson endeavor, spelled out the three things that make this product unique.

First, the goal is to re-imagine the user experience by using behavioral psychology and step away from other assessment applications that are more transactional. The second goal is to not not only raise awareness and gather data but also to have an impact on what really works to translate awareness into action through the inclusion of tailored action steps. Third, Steben pointed out, is that the questionnaire is actually briefer than others, but the questions have been intensified based on the results of a scientific study they conducted to generate more predictive results. By breaking up the questionnaire into sections it makes more doable for users to finish.

According to Steben, when they asked users to sample other assessment options to improve My Health Discovery, they found that filling out the questionnaires produced some unintended consequences.

When users were presented with a score or a grade at the end, it triggered more of a competitive response. This made users more interested in increasing that number by providing skewed, or as Steben put it, “creative” information moving forward rather than actually understanding their health.

“We pay very close attention to how we communicate to the user after they finish the questionnaire,” Steben said. “We won’t say, ‘You get a letter grade of B,’ or ‘You get a 72,’ but have very information-rich [results], using our proprietary tailoring technology, to have visualizations on how the user is doing compared to guidelines.”

There are 250 potential action items available following an assessment, but a user is given 10 so that it’s manageable, and it’s provided as a to-do list. This gives users a good base, Steben said, before they dive into some of the other digital health coaching products Johnson & Johnson is providing.

Dr. Rich Bedrosian, Director of Behavioral Health at Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Solutions, said that most people know where they need to improve when it comes to their health and lifestyle. But this product is aimed more at identifying what holds us back from actually taking action by asking unique questions – inquiring about things like stress, depression, sleep deprivation or lack of energy. It also evaluates factors like whether or not people are taking care of their health because they feel like they are pressured to or if it really is coming from a place of intrinsic motivation.

“It’s less about us judging or evaluating them and more about trying be an ally of the users,” Steben said.

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