Self-Disclosure

Kaiser Permanente offers a glimpse into the future of body monitoring and telemedicine through a YouTube video:

This keyhole into the future follows a grandmother with Type-1 diabetes looking at displays of the weather forecast and her weekly blood sugar level on her bathroom mirror, which is beamed from her insulin pump.

After her refrigerator screen displays appropriate food recommendations, the video cuts to a Kaiser Permanente medical facility where a monitor presents at-a-glance information on topics including disease outbreaks, travel alerts, weather, pollen count, police activities and traffic. Predictive analytics reveal a heat alert, resulting in a call for additional personnel. Other data, such as emergency room use, available beds, surgeries, staffing, supplies and performance measures are instantly available.

When she begins feeling poorly, the grandmother’s KP mobile device provides triage, recommends urgent care and provides directions via GPS. During the trip, a Kaiser app identifies her via fingerprint, forwards her records to the facility and notifies the attending physician. When visiting with her, the doctor employs his smartphone to beam her vitals onto a display screen while they discuss her care. Vein scanner glasses help the doctor to see the right place to inject medication. Finally, her primary care physician makes a virtual visit on a screen displaying her medical information.