Memotext is trying a different approach as part of its push to trigger a conversation to get patients to change behavior: cute cat images. It is part of a mobile chat bot to automate conversations to improve adherence and fits into a broader program
“We’re not only asking whether you did something, but why did you do it,” Memotext Founder and President Amos Adler said in an interview. “It is mostly about figuring out how to send content to people in the context of their health.”
Pictures of cats will include health data. Adler suspects that a cute pictures of cats will put those who receive messages in this format in a positive frame of mind so that the information they receive doesn’t seem as dry and forgettable.
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The conversation trigger makes use of text and interactive voice response and artificial intelligence.
It is piloting this approach with an academic medical institution, which Adler declined to name.
“Behavior change needs more than a product or technology thrown at it. We have been looking at how to create a process where you change behavior and the provider can champion digital health in a clinical environment.”
Patients with Type 2 diabetes will be first but other chronic conditions will be included.
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Memotext primarily works with pharmaceutical companies — it developed My CF Coach for Genentech, for example. Although a lot of different groups in the healthcare space are keen to take on and improve adherence, Adler is convinced that pharmaceutical companies have moved beyond a conversation about it.
“Out of all of the healthcare stakeholders, pharma is putting its money where its mouth is. Apps are not the answer but beyond the pill is moving beyond the brand and what pharmaceutical companies are starting to see here is a program for a patient, [not a specific brand or drug].”
The pilot seems like a natural evolution in Memotext’s approach. It uses interactive calls with patients who are asked questions designed to determine their state of mind and why they may have missed a prescribed dose. Interactive media are tailored to patients’ needs, to help them develop a better understanding of their condition, and change their behavior to improve adherence. Patients are also directed to live healthcare professionals and can choose the way they are contacted.
Photo: Flickr user Nick Harris
