Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

What J. J. Abrams can teach us about the future of health care

Robert Wong, MD
Tech
July 15, 2016
196 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As the practice of medicine becomes increasingly digital, our patients are beginning to manage their health from more convenient points of care.  And as telemedicine improves, instantaneous access to health care providers from the comfort of your home or office is now possible. A recent survey of patients in my practice showed that over three-fourths of them have already used or expressed interest in using telemedicine in lieu of a visit to the doctor’s office.

Current forms of telemedicine include sending biometric data or health-related images over HIPAA compliant networks or directly speaking to a doctor via a video conference (think Skype).  In either case, there typically is a doctor present, regardless of whether the doctor is actually yours or where they obtained their degree, on the receiving end of the interaction.

But as we become increasingly comfortable with telemedicine, technology will continue to push the envelope.  Last March at the SXSW Interactive health and medical technology conference, a lot of emphasis was placed on the emergence of physician “avatars” and their ability to deliver to “virtual healthcare” online.  Take a moment. You read that correctly.  Physician avatars!  Not real people but a computer generated (CG) version of Dr. House downloading your symptoms and e-prescribing you some aspirin.

At first, I thought that this seemed ridiculous.  What happened to our humanity?  Alas, there is an argument for this.  People are becoming more reliant on having instant access to everything. With one-click, we can purchase a new pair of shoes.  With one swipe, we can go on a “date.”  Within minutes, we can catch an Uber (except in Austin!) to meet that date.  So it doesn’t seem preposterous to have instant access to a “doctor” any time at all times?  More importantly, with a click of a button.

Equipped with the continually adapting, medical diagnostic algorithms that the team at IBM Watson has developed, an avatar could potentially disrupt our health care delivery system.  Watson, which is IBM’s supercomputer that destroyed Ken Jennings in Jeopardy, can survey all published medical information from peer-reviewed research from virtually any online publicly available database in seconds.  It recently bested highly trained oncologists in correctly diagnosing cancer.  Watson might just be a better diagnostician.

So for some simple stuff, like having the sniffles, why wouldn’t I want to see an IBM Watson fellowship-trained physician avatar to tell me to drink plenty of liquids and stay home from work?

Part of being a good doctor is to be human.

We listen attentively to a patient as they describe their worst day with their illness.   Empathizing with patients is an enormous part of the healing process. A simple human touch on the hand or a genuine smile at a routine office visit can often be just as healing.

Interestingly, while the talks on how avatars could revolutionize healthcare was going on in one meeting room, J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was in another discussing how CG has impacted the “human” elements in film.

In response to the previous three Star Wars movies which had arguably overused CG, he made a conscious decision to use it sparingly in the latest chapter.  For example, CG was mostly used to hide a rig on the set or the legs of the puppeteer who rolled BB-8 around.

Mr. Abrams told a packed audience, “In the case of Star Wars, [we wanted] to create a sense of analog authenticity visually … to make sure that the humanity of the characters wasn’t getting lost whenever possible… and to make sure the movie characters are as human as possible.”  In essence, he found that people sometimes find it harder to relate emotionally to CG characters than to human actors.

During his talk, I couldn’t help but think how patients might perceive their interactions with a physician avatar.  Sure, it may seem novel and cool at first, but will interactions eventually become hollow?

Even though advances in health care technology can improve patient access and may minimize physician error, as people of the human race, we should be wary of anything that may sacrifice the humanistic element of medicine.

J. J. Abrams gets it and so should we.

Robert Wong is a retina specialist who blogs at 36th and Hamilton.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Blood pressure in the elderly: How low is too low?

July 15, 2016 Kevin 7
…
Next

MKSAP: 28-year-old man exposed to pulmonary tuberculosis

July 16, 2016 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Mobile health

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Blood pressure in the elderly: How low is too low?
Next Post >
MKSAP: 28-year-old man exposed to pulmonary tuberculosis

More by Robert Wong, MD

  • 3 things that make doctors successful

    Robert Wong, MD
  • Doctors: Bring your practice website to the 21st-century

    Robert Wong, MD
  • We want access to safe and effective Avastin. Here’s a solution.

    Robert Wong, MD

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Reclaiming the future of health care

    Philip A. Masters, MD
  • What Frederick Douglass can teach us about health care

    Ayden Jacob
  • Health care in American is on life support, and the future is uncharted

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
  • America leads the world in high tech care and health care costs

    Mark Kelley, MD

More in Tech

  • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

    Amol Shrikhande, MD
  • How AI is enhancing patient care and improving radiologists’ lives

    Brett Mollard, MD
  • ChatGPT masters USMLE: a real win for AI, but a long way from the art of medicine

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • The game-changing impact of AI regulation: Unlocking the potential in health care and society

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Surviving TMI and AI: the importance of self-initiated self-learning for future physicians

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Navigating the ethics of AI in surgery: Balancing bias and accountability for safer procedures

    Jag Singh, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

      Jay K. Joshi, MD | Physician
    • Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

      Tyler Jorgensen, MD | Physician
    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Insomnia Symptoms Tied to Stroke a Decade Later
  • Studies Question Role of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in First-Line Advanced Breast Cancer
  • Full-On Reversal of Cardiac Amyloidosis Possible With Antibodies
  • Spell Check-Up: Do You Have the Skills to Pass This Spelling Test?
  • For Some, Sex Is Better Sleep Aid Than Pill, Small Survey Finds

Meeting Coverage

  • Studies Question Role of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in First-Line Advanced Breast Cancer
  • For Some, Sex Is Better Sleep Aid Than Pill, Small Survey Finds
  • Skipping Radiotherapy 'Seems Safe' for PMBCL Patients in Remission
  • Promising Gene Therapy for Overactive Bladder
  • Shotgun Sequencing of Small Intestine Reveals Species Tied to GI Symptom Severity
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

      Jay K. Joshi, MD | Physician
    • Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

      Tyler Jorgensen, MD | Physician
    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

What J. J. Abrams can teach us about the future of health care
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...