Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1465061
76 INNOVATION Public remains wary about brain chips, other biotechnology By Georgina Gonzalez F or all the hype around the future of brain chips and human enhancement technology, the public remains wary and undecided on the benefits of such tech, according to a Pew Research Center report published March 17. For the research, 10,260 adults were surveyed from Nov. 1-7, 2021, about their views of artificial intelligence and its future integration into human life. The public reported their wariness with implantable brain chips, with 56 per- cent saying they would be bad for society and only 13 percent saying they would be a good thing. In general, the respondents presented hesitancy when it came to use of technology for human enhancement, through gene editing or exoskeletons for manual labor. The survey overall showed people were ambivalent about the topic, with many split in their opinion of whether AI is a good or bad thing for society moving forward. They did signal a rising need for stricter safety standards for emerging technologies and a partisan divide on regulating technologies. n 4 ways UC Davis Health is transforming digital health for its patients By Naomi Diaz S acramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health is combating the digital divide for senior patients and patients who don't have access to broadband or smart- phones by giving them affordable and easi- er access to digital health tools, VentureBeat reported March 8. Ashish Atreja, MD, CIO and chief digi- tal health officer of UC Davis Health, said COVID-19 increased consumers' exposure to digital care and virtual appointments but failed to consider older patients who may not be tech-savvy, patients who may not have ac- cess to the internet and patients who don't have access to internet-connected devices. "If we don't put our singular efforts behind closing that digital divide, we'll keep increas- ing the divide by bringing more and more technology to fewer and fewer people," Dr. Atreja said. "We need to bring technology to more patients. Ultimately our mission is to have no patient, no clinician, le behind in the digital transformation." Here's what UC Davis Health is doing to in- clude all patients in the digital transformation: 1. UC Davis Health partnered with Amazon Web Services to create a Cloud Innovation Center focused on addressing challenges surrounding digital health equity. 2. e hospital is advocating for more funding that would extend more affordable broadband access and devices to patients. 3. A workshop that trains patients how to use digital health technology is being developed by the hospital. 4. e hospital is creating a community on its Cloud Innovation Center that will be focused on educating others about digital health divides. n 3 avenues Amazon is using to deliver patient-centric care By Katie Adams K risten Helton, director of Amazon Care, on Feb. 21 told Forbes that "pa- tients are tired of a healthcare system that doesn't put them first." Here are three key avenues Amazon is using to address that issue: 1. Amazon Care: Amazon Care is the e-commerce giant's healthcare venture that offers telehealth and in-person primary care. On Feb. 8, the business made its virtual health services available nationwide and said in-person ser- vices will be rolled out in more than 20 new cities in 2022; in-person services are already available in Seattle; Baltimore; Boston; Dallas; Los Angeles; Wash- ington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and Arlington, Va. Amazon Care offers urgent and primary care services, such as COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, prescription refills and preventive care. In locations where in-person care is available, Amazon Care also deploys nurse practitioners to patients' homes. 2. Amazon Web Services: Amazon Web Services is Amazon's cloud tech- nology platform. Some of the largest healthcare companies in the world are powered by AWS, including Cerner, Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center. In June, AWS launched an accelerator to offer digital health startups resourc- es, expertise and opportunities to collaborate with AWS healthcare customers and partners. The program is designed to accelerate startups' growth in the cloud, focusing on technologies such as remote patient monitoring, data ana- lytics, patient engagement, voice technology and virtual care. 3. Wearables: In 2020, Amazon developed the Halo Band, a wearable that tracks health metrics such as temperature, heart rate, sleep, activity and nutri- tion. The device works in conjunction with the Amazon Halo app, which shows users the data collected by the wristband and offers actionable insights. n