Presentation at SVForum Mobile Internet SIG event on mHealth (August 4, 2011) — the self-quantification movement; survey of tools for tracking personal health; the commonplace complexity of health and the need to track a wide variety of health issues & activities; and an overview of the Tonic self care app.
5. San Francisco Paris
Quantified Self
Amsterdam Philadelphia
Boston Pittsburgh
Brussels Portland
Cape Town San Diego
Chicago Seattle
Edinburgh Silicon Valley
Hawaii Spain
Houston Sydney
London Toronto
Los Angeles Tulsa
Louisville Vancouver
Marin Vermont
Vancouver
San Francisco
New York
Amsterdam
Boston
London
Seattle
Mountain View
San Diego
Toronto
Chicago
Brussels
Paris
Mill Valley
Pittsburgh
Los Angeles
Sydney
Honolulu
Montréal
Valencia
Houston
Ottawa
Cape Town
Burlington
Tulsa
Montreal Victoria
New York Washington DC
Self knowledge 28–29 May 2011
Ottawa
Computer History Museum
through numbers Mountain View California
quantifiedself.com
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6. Trends Driving QS
1. Access to technology — sophisticated tools
available to general public: sensors, mobile
computing, web tools, ...
2. Access to knowledge — greater awareness of
diversity of health & medical practices and
opinions
3. Skepticism about “expert opinion” — both the
limits of expert knowledge & their willingness/
ability to focus on you
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14. “You can have lice
and fleas at the
same time” Sir William Osler
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15. Individual complexity
Not only complex diversity across population
Complexity within an individual
•Multiple chronic conditions + temporary ailments
•Diversity of medical practices
- MD + chiropractor + fitness trainer + dietician + herbalist + faith healer + ...
•Diversity of health activities
- Meds + biometrics + therapies + food + exercise + observations + ...
“Deep medical diversity”
Being and Well-Being
Health and the Working Bodies of Silicon Valley
by J. A. English-Lueck
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17. Many have multiple
chronic conditions
Number of Chronic Conditions
Three or more Two One None USA Population 2005
100.0%
Nearly 25% of
75.0% population has 2+
chronic conditions
50.0%
Roughly 50% of those
25.0%
aged 65+ have 3+
chronic conditions
0%
0-19 20-44 45-64 65-79 80+ All
Age Range
Source: “Rising Out-of-Pocket Spending for Chronic Conditions: A Ten-Year Trend”, Paez, Zhao and Hwang; Health Affairs 28, no. 1 (2009): 15-25 17
18. Not just the elderly
Number of Chronic Conditions
Three or more Two One None USA Population 2005
125
Ages 45-64
100
17m:
3+ chronic con’s
Millions of People
75 12m:
2+ chronic con’s
50
Ages 65-older
25
17m:
3+ chronic con’s
8m:
2+ chronic con’s
0
0-19 20-44 45-64 65-79 80+
Age Range
Source: “Rising Out-of-Pocket Spending for Chronic Conditions: A Ten-Year Trend”, Paez, Zhao and Hwang; Health Affairs 28, no. 1 (2009): 15-25 18
19. Variety of conditions
Most commonly highlighted diseases
•In order of prevalence:
•Hypertension, Asthma, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease,
COPD, Cancer, CHF
But there are other major conditions and a very
long tail of diseases
•Obesity, Depression, Back pain, Chronic pain, ...
•Rare diseases
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20. Daily self-care not simple
Much to remember & much to keep track of
Example: person with diabetes & hypertension
Doctor’s advice Personal decisions
• Insulin Novolin • Insulin Novolog • Multi-vitamin • Ibuprofen
Medications • Metformin • ACE Inhibitor • Herbal supplements
• Blood glucose • Weight
Biometrics • Blood pressure & pulse
Therapies • Foot massage • Breathing exercises
Exercise • Yoga • Walking • Swimming
Diet • Food journal • Carbs
• Excessive thirst
Observations • Excessive sweating
• Sleep • Mood
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42. Summary
Growing self-quantification movement, often health-
focused
Growing collection of tools for capturing personal health
data, automatic and/or user-entered
Day-to-day health is complex, multi-faceted
Tonic makes day-to-day health management much easier
Need for wide range of tools
• Specialized: Deep, focused, rich — used when & where needed
• Commonplace: Broad, flexible, customizable — used all the time
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