While digital health technologies hold the promise to empower us to be more and proactive in our care, a new study released today by TELUS finds that those who might benefit the most from innovative healthcare technologies are least likely to adopt them.

Among the findings of the Digital Life study:

• Canadians in the baby boomer (age 52+) and greatest generation (age 71+) categories reported they were the most likely to access a healthcare provider (75 per cent). While 59 per cent in this demographic agreed that digital health tools would help them connect with their healthcare provider, this group ranked the least likely to use them (12 per cent);
• Those 52+ years old in Ontario and the West are significantly more likely than those 52+ years old in Quebec to have shared their health data with their healthcare provider, used online or mobile resources to find reviews of doctors or healthcare services, and used online or mobile resources to search for specific health topics;
• Canadians over the age of 52 were 10 per cent less likely than younger generations to agree that digital technology empowers them to take control of their health;
• 80 per cent of healthcare providers surveyed reported using digital technology to communicate with other healthcare professionals. Six in 10 hold the belief that this integrated health team interaction improves patients’ overall wellness; and,
• With 89 per cent of healthcare professionals surveyed agree that accessible, secure information-sharing platforms would improve patient outcomes.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information reports that two-thirds of Canadians over 65 have five or more different prescriptions, and one-quarter take 10 or more prescription drugs.

TELUS Health has announced a new product, Pharma Space, an online pharmacy service that provides reminders and automatic refills, with the objective of improved compliance with medication. Pharma Space provides patients with the flexibility to better manage these prescriptions as well as their online drug profile anytime, anywhere from a mobile phone, tablet or computer. The system allows patients access to information they need about their medications, including potential side effects. Pharma Space is offered through participating pharmacies.

We have recently dealt with aging family members having problems from drug interactions caused by prescriptions that weren’t properly coordinated between specialists. TELUS reports that 300,000 Canadians are already using Pharma Space. While that is an impressive start, it also means more than 99% of Canadians still aren’t accessing the service. That makes a significant (and necessary) growth opportunity for Pharma Care and other digital health applications.

Frequent readers of this page know that, for too long, I have been writing about the need to develop a national strategy to target bridging the biggest gap in digital adoption in Canada. Almost half of Canadian households in the lowest income quintile have no home computer and no broadband connection.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I would like to see us immediately start addressing households with school aged children so that all kids have a chance to start the school year equipped with the right tools. In the US, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel refers to this as closing the #HomeworkGap.

The new school year opens in a month and a half. Will service providers be ready with a new type of “back-to-school special”?

I have uploaded a number of sessions from The 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit to make the information more accessible to those who were not able to be with us, or to help attendees recollect what was said.

Here is a summary of the sessions now available on-line:

• Monday June 5: Opening remarks from #CTS17 – Mark Goldberg & Michael Sone
• Monday June 5: #CTS17: Opening keynote address – ISED Minister Navdeep Bains
• Monday June 5: #CTS17: Customer Experience Management – Craig Eaket (moderator), Daniel Boisvert, Chris Briggs, John Hall, Craig Thornton
• Monday June 5: Developing Canada’s innovation policy – Dan Breznitz
• Monday June 5: #CTS17: Network innovation & service integrity – John Papadakis (Moderator), Shubh Agarwal, Ibrahim Gedeon, Brenda Herold, Ashley Stephenson
• Tuesday June 6: #CTS17: Innovating for success – Len Waverman (Moderator), Christine Calvosa, Jack Mintz, Daniel Schwanen
• Tuesday June 6: #CTS17: The regulatory blockbuster – Greg O’Brien (Moderator), Bram Abramson, Mirko Bibic, John Lawford, David Watt, Ted Woodhead
• Wednesday June 7: Disruptive innovation at #CTS17 – Namir Anani (moderator), Samer Bishay, Keith Liu, Angelique Mohring, Jacques Magen
• Wednesday June 7: FCC Chairman Pai addresses The 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit

As you can see, there was a significant focus on innovation and developing national innovation policies. This has been an important focus for the Canadian government’s economic plan, aligning with the theme of the conference, “Competition, Investment and Innovation: Driving Canada’s Digital Future.”

Your comments on these sessions are welcome.

On Monday, June 5, my longtime colleague and friend, John Papadakis, moderated a panel at The 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit that looked at Network Innovation and Service Integrity. John leads an executive advisory firm called Thinkedge, providing thought leadership and hands-on operational expertise to help technology-based companies accelerate their growth and drive business excellence.

He was joined on the panel by:
  • Shubh Agarwal, SVP Strategic Marketing, Metaswitch Networks;
  • Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer, TELUS;
  • Brenda Herold, GM Software Defined Infrastructure, Wind River Systems; and
  • Ashley Stephenson, CEO, Corero Network Security.

It is one thing to innovate in the network, it is an additional challenge to do so in the face of threats of cyber attacks, such as DDoS. To what extent can telecom service providers offer cyber defense as a service? The panel talked about the need to be willing to experiment, fail fast (and cheaply!) and try again.

Some top people discussing an important subject in an interesting way. I hope you find the video useful.

On Tuesday, June 6, Len Waverman, Dean of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, moderated a panel at The 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit that looked at Innovating for Success: At the cusp of the digital revolution.

He was joined on the panel by:
  • Christine Calvosa, Deputy CIO at the Federal Communications Commission;
  • Jack Mintz, President’s Fellow, School of Public Policy at University of Calgary; and,
  • Daniel Schwanen, VP, Research at C.D. Howe Institute.

As reported by IT World Canada, Jack Mintz asks at one point, “The telecom sector gets taxed 22 per cent in most cases, which is the third highest for any sector in Canada. If we truly believe in innovation and want to see ourselves be leaders in this field, why are we putting one of the highest tax rates on a sector so critical to innovation?”

I thought it would be beneficial to share the complete panel discussion with you.