The patient's side of the equation: empowerment, access, self-management and technology that treats people as participants rather than subjects.
19 articles
Neko Health's 25,000-person New York waitlist reads as proof of demand, while the NHS's 7.33 million-treatment list reads as failure. Retail is removing self-checkouts just as clinics install AI receptionists, and AI sold as a cost-cutter is fuelling a billing arms race between hospitals and insurers. Does your next AI purchase give patients more of a person, or more of a process?
Wearables spent a decade in the fitness-gadget drawer, then in a single September they started ordering lab panels, courting pharma and, through Apple's Sonera acquisition, pointing toward sensors that never touch the skin. Who in your health system owns the follow-up when patients arrive with platform-generated health data?
A patient said no to an AI scribe and the doctor had never heard it before. With 40% of UK GPs already using ambient scribes and Healthwatch England finding 81% of patients want to be asked first, this edition argues consent to the infrastructure of treatment was never designed. The GOSH trial's 92% consent rate shows the ask is the fix, not the obstacle.
When AI can predict heart failure five years out and pancreatic cancer three years early, a new social category emerges: the pre-diagnosed patient. Who gains and who loses when early-detection data collides with insurance, employment, and personal identity, and who owns the verdict?
Five patients who walked their own path to a diagnosis, a second opinion, or a treatment the system missed. Against Gallup's 1-in-4 figure and a three-month Big Tech health-AI launch window, the self-navigator is no longer an exception, she has infrastructure.
Same-day delivery exists for practically everything, except the advice that might prevent you from needing a hospital bed. This piece explores a simple question: what if preventive care had its own gig economy layer? The supply of qualified health coaches exists. The demand is overwhelming. They just rarely meet.
Now athletes are claiming ownership of the metrics their bodies generate, and building new economies around that data. LeBron invests €1,4 million annually in his performance.
Hospitals have a valet parking problem. They're forcing patients through the main entrance when AI could offer immediate access, personalised routing, and frictionless care.
Healthcare is the only industry where convenience still sounds like a foreign concept. This piece asks what happens when patients can navigate healthcare the way they shop at a hardware store, walking in, finding exactly what they need, and checking out seamlessly. The technology already exists.
During the blackout of 28 April 2025 in Spain, a friend of mine had no power, no internet and no mobile network. He did have a language model running on his phone. What he did with it, and what the numbers from the US, Europe and Asia say about who asks chatbots for health advice.
What can a 1950s toothpaste campaign teach us about the future of health?More than you might think. Before we had Oura rings and meditation apps, Crest discovered a timeless secret about human motivation: the power of an immediate reward.This insight is key to unlocking the next wave of health innovation.
Last night I opened a health-chatbot window in 'incognito' and asked the question I'd never dare voice at the doctor's office. The bot answered, but then came the moment of truth: should I let my GP see this private thread for better care, or keep it off the record and guard my privacy?
In a world racing toward hyper-specialised, tech-driven healthcare, one question remains: who ensures the human side of care is not lost? This piece explores how family doctors can become the linchpins of a more connected, personalised healthcare future.
What if learning about health could be as exhilarating as a theme park adventure? Introducing Thrivetopia: an immersive wellness park concept where preventive healthcare becomes an interactive journey.
From fintech revolutionizing money to AI transforming retail, why is filling our cart with healthy food still so challenging? An inspiring dive into the future of smart shopping and how technology might finally make healthy choices the easy choice.
Creating an app has become remarkably easy. I recently saw a demo where a company developed an app just by conversing with a system, which then produced a working app based on that conversation.
I've been collecting a lot of health data via wearables but realised I had so much data that I couldn't make sense of it. Enter the PLLM — a Personal Large Language Model for health coaching, evolving into a multi-agent system.
Imagine a device, perhaps a sleek clip-on, a smart patch, a pair of glasses, or an advanced smartphone, that continuously measures vitals, offers round-the-clock availability, and provides empathetic guidance.
What if a small, precise LLM could mirror your own health data and act as a proactive personal health coach? A short exploration of personalised AI health companions.
