Digital health: A day in the life of a community health worker in an emerging market

In this audio presentation, Bain partner Tim van Biesen discusses how digital health technologies will affect the life of a community health worker.

Digital health won’t just transform the back office. It will change the daily lives of people throughout the healthcare system—from doctors, nurses and clinical investigators to patients, including both the seriously ill and the very healthy.

Presentation transcript: A day in the life of a community health worker in emerging markets

Slide 1. Digital health: Community health worker in emerging markets

Hello. My name is Tim van Biesen. I’m a partner in Bain & Company’s Healthcare practice based in New York.

Slide 2. Healthcare sectors in developing countries are a tiny fraction of the size seen in advanced economies

When we think about how digital technology can change healthcare over the next 5-10 years, we often do so in the context of traditional markets, like the US, Europe and Japan. But the most rapidly growing healthcare markets in the world are the next generation of markets—Brazil, Russia, China, India, and many others.

Slide 3. But mobile and smartphone penetration in developing countries far outpaces that in the developed world

While these are not among the world’s largest healthcare markets, they do enjoy one of the fastest growth rates in the world for digital technology penetration—the smartphone and mobile-only Internet use growing faster than anywhere else in the world, creating a unique opportunity to deliver healthcare in fundamentally new ways.

Slide 4. A day in the life of a community health worker in India

Let’s consider a day in the life of a community health worker in India, where much of the care is delivered remotely—diagnosis, treatment and follow-up all have to happen without access to traditional sites of care.

Slide 5. The community health worker uses CDS to diagnose sick girl

With more than 200 million people in rural villages without any access to healthcare, community health workers must often provide care with minimal training. In this case, a clinical decision support system could be used to diagnose a girl who has become sick overnight. The worker can take a blood sample for later diagnosis, and then based on that diagnosis, the system can recommend antibiotics. The worker carries a series of antibiotics with her, uses an RFID tag to ensure that the correct medication is dispensed. The drug inventory is managed centrally so that she is replenished, and a follow-up can be scheduled accordingly.

Slide 6. The health worker gathers cardiac data

Even patients with chronic diseases can be followed remotely, using remote patient monitoring and communications devices and simple devices that allow EKG tracking and results communications to specialists in remote locations who can recommend the appropriate type of care.

Slide 7. Conducting a telemedicine session

Telemedicine can be used to connect remote patients with specialists in urban locations. The pediatrician can work with an expectant mother, the community health worker uses and handheld ultrasound to check on the mother and send the data directly to the pediatrician. The pediatrician can provide materials on prenatal and infant care and reduce infant mortality rates by 50% or more.

Slide 8. Following up with a wounded patient

Similarly, there are technologies to check on wounds, to make sure that the treatment is progressing as expected and to provide further steps of care as needed.

Slide 9. By 2020, digital health will have cut costs and increased innovation

The potential impact on digital health on emerging markets is substantial, driving efficacy as more patients access care, and driving efficiency as that care is delivered using more remote and mobile technologies.

Slide 10. Contact us

Thanks for your time. If you’d like to talk to me or any of my colleagues at Bain & Company on digital health, please don’t hesitate to contact us.