Connected Health: Addictive smartphones hold “hidden value” for healthcare

BOSTON--The addictive nature of smartphones is an opportunity for the healthcare industry to insert positive health messages at the fingertips of patients, Joseph Kvedar, MD, founder and director of Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health, said at the 10th Annual Connected Health Symposium.

“We check smartphones 100 times a day, and by some estimates, 150 times,” Kvedar said. “The 150 times a day interaction is our opportunity.”

While checking a smartphone is compulsive, Kvedar cited a study where the action of pushing one button was enough to significantly decrease engagement with a blood pressure cuff remote monitoring device. “On one hand, we are checking our phone 150 times per day, but not pushing one button to improve our health,” he said.

Research shows that checking smartphones result in a small release of the neurochemical dopamine. “In fact, once the pattern of ingestion and dopamine release is established, even thinking about the ingestion triggers the dopamine release, the biochemical explanation for cravings,” he said.

Smartphone addiction stems from a powerful human desire to communicate with others, capture and share life moments, access content/services and merely just to fill a time void. Kvedar reserved judgment on whether smartphone addiction is good or bad. “It is what it is.”

Transformational possibilities of mobile health include the opportunity to use a constantly connected device to deliver health messages, capture health-related information via the camera and through connected sensors and display relevant information in context, he said. “All of these are exciting, but if we can exploit the addictive quality of smartphones, it will be the most important characteristic of mobile health as we move forward."

Kvedar suggested three strategies and three tactics to make health addictive. The strategies include:

• Make it about life—Tie healthcare messages to the goals and aspirations of individuals instead of patronizing them on actions they must take to avoid worsening chronic conditions.
• Make it personal—The more context is provided, the more the messaging is relevant and actionable in a very personal way.
• Reinforce social connections— Social networks are a powerful tool to increase accountability and adherence to care, and wellness plans and mobile phones make social interactions more convenient.

Tactics to achieve these strategies include employing subliminal messaging, using unpredictable rewards and using the sentinel effect. In the realm of subliminal messaging, Kvedar cited a successful campaign by the American Legacy Foundation that employed texting, social media and concerts to educate teens about how the tobacco industry manipulates their products.

Research shows that unpredictable rewards trigger compulsive behavior, so Kvedar suggested inserting rewards, like a coupon or offer, at random times when an app is open.

Lastly, Kvedar advocated for the sentinel effect, meaning that clinicians actively oversee patient data. “This effect of having an authority figure look in on your life is a really powerful tool that can be used to effectively promote good health through mobility,” he said.