Innovative app that could keep you well and out of hospital
Working in an A&E department in Castlebar, ANN SHORT has more than enough first-hand experience of what’s wrong with our health service. She is taking time out from the broken system to help fix it. She has raised €1.5m to start a company, Full Health Medical, that has just won international recognition and aims to improve healthcare in Ireland and around the world... How does a doctor in our overworked health service find time to start a global company?
I work part-time in the overworked health service! Half of my week is spent in an emergency department and the other half trying to tackle the root cause of the problem.
So Full Health Medical uses an app to empower patients with lifesaving data…
The software actually started as a copybook of explanations about angina, cholesterol and bowel habits among other things. I used to photocopy the pages to give to patients, to explain what they had and what they needed to do about it in plain English. The best clinicians sit at a patient’s bedside and draw pictures to explain medical concepts. Our software enables that, even when they don’t have time. It can detect things like hypertension (high blood pressure) and impaired glucose tolerance which could shorten your life. We can prompt people to do things like buying a blood pressure machine and writing down their blood pressure in different circumstances. They can discover the circumstances that drive their blood pressure through the roof and feel empowered to make changes.
You recounted previously how tests taking eight minutes assessed a Mayo farmer in your A&E department after a heart attack. If he had had the same simple tests from his GP any time before the event, he could have avoided permanent damage to his heart. Is that what inspired you?
I see many patients in emergency situations who are in the middle of life-changing events. In many cases, these situations could have been predicted and prevented, or at least, caught much earlier. People will often get their bloods done once a year but many haven’t a clue what was tested, and often nothing changes as a result. Unless you empower people to monitor themselves, it’s unfair to expect them to maintain full compliance with medication, or with diet and exercise.
Full Health Medical has made it into a key index – the Global Digital Health ranking of top 100 companies. Congratulations!
When one considers there are over 318,000 health apps, and 200 more added every day, to be listed in the Top 100 globally is a special achievement.
What were the biggest challenges to setting up a company here?
The market is very small. That said, it’s also a good test bed for new ideas and the people you need to talk to are accessible.
So you want to pioneer preventative medicine on a global scale?
That is the mission we are on. For us, it’s about having that scalable solution that can be used in many different ways and different health environments.
Insurers and employers promote preventative medicine. But what about the health service?
I was at a North American Healthcare Forum, where the idea of rewards for healthy behaviour was introduced, similar to what insurers do. That would be a radical move and would yield massive dividends. We were the first country to introduce the smoking ban – why not be the first for rewarding people for looking after their health?
When I go to a consultant he spends ages wading through confusing paper files. Why aren’t we digitally connected?
There are so many systems – all of which don’t talk to each other. EHealth Ireland are doing fantastic work in this regard, but there is so much more to be done.
Have you a single tip for patients?
Make preventative medicine a priority – just like looking at your bank balance.
What was your own best personal financial decision?
Apart from investing in the company, I would say it’s my bicycle and electric car.
And worst?
An electric bicycle!
What do you do to unwind?
Run and drink tea.
Guilty treat?
Dark chocolate.
Spender or a saver?
Spender.