May 31, 2024 • 46 mins
Boomer vs. Millennial. Gen X vs. Gen Z. Gen Alpha vs. the AI bot it just programmed…It’s every generation for themselves in an all-new episode of your favorite humorous health tech podcast! Join Elliott Wilson and Sarah Harper as they unpack the generational baggage of healthcare technology and discuss everything from digital natives to digital bystanders. This episode kicks the ageism out of health tech and is sure to have you and your relatives singing “Kumbaya” around the VR campfire.
- Age Differences in the Use of Health Information Technology Among Adults in the United States: An Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey - PubMed (nih.gov)
- Inter-generational Effects of Technology: Why Millennial Physicians May Be Less at Risk for Burnout Than Baby Boomers - PMC (nih.gov)
- Older adults can use technology: why healthcare professionals must overcome ageism in digital health - PMC (nih.gov)
- How Gen Z are reshaping the healthcare industry | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Tech It To The Limit, the humorous and surprisingly informative podcast that
(00:22):
makes digital innovation and healthcare as entertaining as it is relevant.
I'm Sarah Harper.
And I'm Elliot Wilson.
And we're here to pull back the curtain on the world of digital transformation in healthcare.
Don't worry, you don't need a medical degree to join in on the fun.
Just a sense of humor and a penchant for all things health tech.
So buckle up folks.
It's time to...
(00:42):
Tech It To The Limit.
What's up Elliot?
What's up Sarah?
Oh my gosh.
It's episode two, season two.
So excited to see you again friend.
As always it's a pleasure to see your face.
(01:04):
In fact I'm going to move your screen right over here so I can see a little better.
And this zoom culture in which we live.
Pretty amazing though.
It is so great to be back with you here again on Tech It To The Limit and welcome everybody
back to join us.
It is our May episode and we're so delighted to be here with you.
(01:26):
You've got a great show for today.
We have a theme of generations today.
And Sarah do you mind indulging me for a moment as to why we're going through this?
Well I don't know if you've noticed but it seems like everywhere I turn big, big, giant
groups of people, aka generations, are not getting along.
(01:46):
What?
Well I mean it's not like it's a bloodbath.
I just had my parents over for dinner and can confirm.
Yeah but did you get like a passive aggressive meme from someone on the way home?
Anyway.
It's so true.
Well I mean I've been doing a lot of travel recently for work and I recently found myself
(02:08):
out in a health system in one of the mid west states and I was there in the lobby of a courtyard
and I started to strike up a conversation with a couple of guys that were manning the
bar and they were very clearly not of my generation.
I'm sad to say that they were much younger than us.
Wait what generation are you from again?
(02:28):
I'm a millennial, an elder millennial at that and proud of it.
Awesome, same here.
I believe you share that moniker with me, yes?
I think that's why we get along so well.
I think so.
So there I am and these two Gen Zers are behind the counter and we're having this great conversation
about the differences between generations and shortly thereafter some folks came in
(02:51):
that were deep, deep Gen Xers like it's 10 p.m.
Do you know where your kids are Gen Xers that get together regularly from all across the
country and just happen to be in this bar and it was really cool and we kind of all
started talking about the differences between Gen Z, millennials and Gen Xers and overwalks
this guy who is clearly a boomer and we're all like oh boy here comes the boomers right
(03:16):
and he sits down and he is a delight and we're having a great conversation about his experiences
as being a baby boomer.
Turns out this guy, are you ready for this?
This guy is Luke Duke from the Dukes of Hazard as in like the Duke Brothers?
(03:37):
I know and like Gen, the Gen Z guys behind the bar they had no clue who this guy was.
One of them had to call his dad and he said dad was like you better take a picture.
So anyway it got me thinking about generational things.
I think it's meaningful because we're seeing this generational shift in leadership in healthcare
(04:02):
and frankly it's not just in our industry but it's you know in all industries going
on right now I think that's just a function of time but we're also seeing this at a more
macro level.
We're seeing this play out in our national politics.
We're seeing the clash of generations on student campuses right now and we're seeing it play
out slowly at the presidential level too as two octogenarians go head to head this coming
(04:28):
out November.
So anyway we wanted to talk about generations and so we decided we were going to start that
by bringing back one of our favorite segments the Health Tech Herald.
Awesome so just to remind you listeners what is Health Tech Herald.
Elliot and I go out and read some scientific journal articles with a nice glass of Cabernet
(04:54):
in front of the fire with our PJs which is what elder millennials enjoy doing on a Saturday
evening and we bring them back to the show to share with each other and to share with
you so we read those articles and we distill down our top two nuggets from each read and
then we'll post the link to the journal article in the show notes for you all to indulge by
(05:18):
the fire with your own glass of Cabernet if you happen to be like us.
So the first article that I read around this theme of generational differences and remember
we're kind of looking at we're approaching this this conversation from the lens of Health
Tech right.
For the first article that I read was called age differences in the use of health information
(05:39):
technology among adults in the United States and this was an analysis of the Health Information
National Trends Survey.
It was an article published in 2024 so dare I say it's a little bit of older data but
still relevant.
Oh I forgot to mention too it's from the Journal of Paging and Health.
(06:00):
So my top two takeaways from from reading this article were that older adults which
are defined in this study as 65 years of age or older are less likely than everyone else
who's younger than they are to own health information technology or hit devices and
use them for health care decision making.
(06:20):
This was attenuated that word came from the article I just love it so much it just rolls
off the tongue.
It was attenuated by hit ownership so if you own a device you're actually more likely to
use it for health care decision making sure King I know.
No I'm so surprised.
Yeah so surprised which suggests that not having access to technology may limit engagement
(06:46):
with health information technology by the part of older adults.
So again if you don't have a device how the heck are you supposed to engage with the products
and services that are being designed for you.
And they came up with this in 2021 way back in 2021.
Right so we're a little bit slow on the uptake here folks like a research translation to
(07:07):
practice still sadly moving at a glacial pace.
The other second nugget that I have from the article is that older adults were less likely
than their younger counterparts to withhold information from their health care providers
due to concerns about security or privacy of their medical records which I found really
surprising because you often hear stereotypes in the news media or even in conversation
(07:32):
that you know older adults are worried about data privacy and so they're not going to engage.
But this could actually point towards a growing trust gap between physicians and younger patients
and that's a topic we've actually discussed on this show last season before.
So that's my first article I'll pass the baton to you or maybe throw the newspaper
(07:53):
your way Elliot since we were born when we actually received newspapers thrown at our
doors to share your top two nuggets from your article.
Yeah I think those are fascinating especially the one about the older adults being less
likely than younger adults to withhold their information because that was actually different
than one of the things that I found.
Ah science so confounding.
(08:13):
Consensus.
So my first article here comes from Springer Nature in 2020.
Intergenerational effects of technology why millennial physicians may be less at risk
for burnout than baby boomers.
And I thought this was an interesting article long story short the you know spoiler alert
(08:37):
the reason is because we're used to technology we're digital natives versus digital foreigners
or digital migrants I think is what the term they used.
Digital victims.
Digital victims.
Digital stand buyers.
That's right and so they you know millennials have grown up in a world and became used to
(08:58):
a world that moves at an ever accelerating pace and I think so they're more likely to
be able to absorb more and more of that burnout that often tends to be exacerbated by the
introduction of technology into practice as opposed to relieving it.
But just in general boomers this article were reported as being less comfortable with digital
(09:18):
technology compared to millennials and certainly Gen Z.
But I thought this was really kind of interesting is that the part of the reason for that is
they had to make decisions about health care and health care technologies like leaders
policymakers had to make decisions about health care and technology before they were
even being used in clinical practice and and this this next nugget I thought was just
(09:43):
this blew my mind thinking about this.
So HIPAA was written and enacted in 96.
Okay I was 12 you were 12 right.
Google.com wasn't a registered domain until 1997.
Think about that.
Google has been on the books and is still considered like the gold standard pinnacle
(10:09):
the A the apex data privacy kind of policy out there and it's older than Google.
Was it written in stone and delivered from a mountaintop next to a burning bush.
I mean come on people.
It's time to update it.
I think it's about time for an update in how we in how we go about data governance and
(10:31):
privacy practices.
But then for the listeners that are interested this article has a fantastic and I mean fantastic
sort of table in it.
So my nugget is an entire table that goes into the differences between all the different
generations back from the traditionalists or I guess some people call it the silent
(10:51):
generation before the boomers all the way up to Gen Z and talks about their defining
experience you know for you know for us being the dot com bubble or social media or especially
911 for Gen Z its climate change and COVID-19 different defining products of their generation
right color TV for the boomers right Ed Sullivan Beatles you know showing up etc right to the
(11:18):
Walkman for Gen X to the iPods for us you know go take a look at this article and read
through even if you just read through that table is a fascinating kind of exploration
of what shapes the mindset of the different generations.
Thank you for planning my next Saturday night I cannot wait to go check out this table and
(11:38):
just for the record as an elder millennial I did own both the Walkman and an iPod.
Yes yes the iPod the iPod shuffle right which is way too small too small too small Steve
Jobs is rolling over and his grave.
Oh my transition here I apologize.
(12:03):
My next article was called older adults have used technology keeping in with the theme
that I had from a previous article why health care professionals must overcome ageism in
digital health.
It's from the Journal of Translational Behavioral Medicine it was published in 2022 so a little
bit more recent and the reason I wanted to dive into this article is because in a lot
(12:27):
of my work in previous projects I've designed tech specifically for patients and I'm working
with clinicians as clinicians as co-designers I have witnessed almost in every single project
somebody say oh yeah but like our older patients are going to be interested in this right so
we don't have to worry about their needs and I'm like you know where is the evidence
(12:49):
space that is going to counteract that assumption I need to find it right so my top two nuggets
from this article which really ended up being more like six so I'll fly through them is
that the number of older adults using smartphones increased dramatically from 2013 to 2021 so
about 20% in 2013 up to more than 60% in 2021 huge leap about 90% of older adults own a laptop
(13:17):
or computer and use the internet regularly as of 2022 and this was published and during
COVID-19 the percentage of older adults that engage with telehealth rose from about 5%
to over 20% so huge leap right they are engaging so what can we as designers of health tech
for all patients including older adults which is the fastest growing segment right do about
(13:41):
it well we can stop being tools we can invest in education and awareness targeted not only
ourselves as designers but as clinicians who are co-designers for these patients and
we need to dispel the myth that older adults don't use tech and emphasize the unique user
needs of an older adult vis-a-vis these products and services basically in short I'm saying
(14:06):
we need to design with inclusivity in mind and just like our pediatric patients we don't want to
let our older adult patients be an afterthought we need to design for their unique needs and we
need to present provide the necessary wraparound supports for these end users to ensure usability
and adoption of these products and services mic drop wow wow that was intense you really care
(14:30):
for the for the those boomers you got a lot of boomer love here I feel like I blacked out what did
I say I do care I do care a lot actually about designing with inclusivity in mind so whether
whether we want to help them or not we have to and it's important to design for them to be able
(14:51):
to use that tech now that's how you really feel oh yeah I'm sorry I'm sorry for being so much more
cynical than you I'm so sorry all right what was your next article my next article came from
actually the world economic forums not quite the scientific journal but a still an interesting
article I thought it was pulling together a bunch of different data from consumer centric data from
(15:13):
various different studies and kind of putting it into a probably a clickbait article and I got
baited so it's called how Gen Z are reshaping the healthcare industry what a couple of things I
found here so unlike the article that you mentioned earlier right that has said that older adults
were more likely to share than than younger generations their their data this article suggests
(15:38):
that Gen Z are two times as likely as other generations to share their health information
with providers outside of their primary care doctor like health insurers retail clinics third party
apps and vendor and other vendors and things like that and I think that that is indicative of the
world in which they grew up which is constantly asking them for their information right because
(16:04):
as people become the product that gets sold right as we give our information to be bundled and sold
to others to target ads against us or at us to buy things it's almost a Pavlovian response to just
just share that data and so I think this article is kind of indicative of that so I thought that was
(16:26):
an interesting kind of juxtaposition with your other article but you know no surprise here that
66 percent of Gen Gen Z compared with 40 percent of other generations are using digital tools for
all the different wellness health care kind of stuff to monitor their health going back to the
conversation we had with Dr. G last month this article also mentioned around 42 percent of Gen
(16:51):
Z respondents to their survey saying they relied on social media to get medical information compared
to only 20 percent of non-G respondents and I don't think that number is going ever going to go down
from here right that is where it is but I think it's also important to note that legitimate news
outlets are also moving to social media in order to meet that trend to meet that that that need there
(17:19):
and so just by saying they're going to social media to get medical information isn't necessarily a
bad thing they could still be going to reputable sources they are certainly out there so it's not
necessarily a bad thing yeah to your point Dr. G described that clinic Cleveland Clinic use case
right where having did a public health campaign and which was very effective so anyway well that
(17:44):
was fascinating Elliot I really appreciate your tying it back to Dr. G from the previous episode
and I'm even more excited about our next segment which is brand new that we're going to be introducing
after the break so stick around it's called not your average focus group stick around we'll be right back
(18:14):
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(19:45):
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(20:57):
welcome back listeners we hope you enjoyed that message from one of our fake sponsors
thanks for tuning in to tech to the limit we're so glad you're here even more pumped to introduce
this brand new segment called not your average focus group so how we're going to do this we're
going to keep in with the theme of the episode the generational theme and we're going to introduce
(21:19):
to you a health tech product fictional but could be real that's ended solving a particular
pain point that many adults face throughout their life and we're going to describe how each
generation may use it misuse it or be utterly confused by it but first we're going to introduce
(21:39):
to you our five stars of this focus group pick it off with the boomers eliot okay so for the
uninitiated when we talk about different generations you know there's no standard so we thought we
would put some standards around it at least for the purposes of today's conversation so
so we like to be as objective as possible here on tech at the limit so the first generation
(22:05):
the oldest generation we're going to talk about apparently we are just going to not even worry
about the traditionalists at this point our first generation that we're going to talk about is the
boomers you know them you love them boomers come to us from around 1946 to 1964 they are the
(22:27):
original i walked uphill both ways at healthcare education and housing was way less expensive
for us they can be found reminiscing about the days when phones were just attached to walls and
conversations weren't typed and how you had to get up to change the channel just to be able to
watch television if they even had a television who's next thank you eliot so the next generation
(22:53):
joining our focus group today is gen x coming into the world between 1965 and 1979 gen x is the
overlooked middle child of generations can totally relate to that as a middle child they are experts
at self-sufficiency and probably the last cohort of folks to appreciate the art of a well curated
(23:15):
mixtape which is not true because elder millennials also remember that any complaints about these
generational descriptions folks i want you to submit to the chat gpt corporate up yeah for sure
you know it's funny i forgot about gen x i forgot they totally exist there's a middle child
oh well the next generation up is the the greatest generation that ever existed the millennials
(23:38):
starting in 1980 give or take uh going all the way up to 1994 their official title is generation
why but we know them and love them as millennials they are the pioneers of hashtag activism and
might be caught explaining why artisanal coffee and avocado terst is worth the extra four dollars
(24:01):
all while streaming a documentary on their latest cause du jour it sounds like such a great
generation i really want to hang out with them they are the best they have the best music too
and the next generation is going to be joining our focus group today was born between 1995
and 2009 and they're known as gen z they are fluent in memes eye rolls that can get stuck
(24:25):
mastering the art of viral trends while simultaneously saving for retirement before
their 20th birthday i really wish i had done that uh what's the last generation going to be joining
us elliot so the last generation well what happens when you when you get to z you got a start over
somewhere and we decided to go back to the greeks the next generation is our kids generation which is
(24:48):
gen alpha born from 2010 to currently right now all the way out to 2025 so gen alpha is growing up
with ipads in hand from the womb it's like they come out the doctor slaps them and hands them an
ipad do they even do they do that still anymore that's like such a that's such a boomer thing to
(25:08):
say like nobody slaps the baby when they come out anymore right it's kind of a test you know but
i'm not an obstetrician and for the record my kids don't have ipads but keep going well they're
likely to consider vic physical books or any physical media as vintage collectibles and might just
automate their chores if given the right gadgets and and just another kind of note about gen alpha
(25:32):
this is something i've noticed about my own kids these are the kids that will grow up never knowing
what it's like to not talk to their house and have their house talk back to yeah that's great which i
always think is very interesting so now that we have our focus group assembled we're going to
introduce the product okay so keep in mind those five individuals sitting in an awkward circle with
(25:52):
a facilitator who has a pen and paper okay it's just you know a health tech podcast all right
anyway so meet the lovebug buster your new best friend in the world of modern dating this is
just an plenty at home sti testing kit with the lovebug buster you can get quick reliable results
(26:13):
in the privacy of your home each kit features our unique bug detectors test strips amusingly
shaped like little critters that make testing less daunting and a lot more fun plus our love doctor
digital app delivers your results confidentially and offers comedic advice on what to do next
i'm not going off no matter your results the lovebug buster is here to help you manage your
(26:39):
sexual health with a smile the lovebug buster is not just about detecting unwelcome guests
it's about empowering you with knowledge and keeping things cheeky all right so let's kick it off with
the boomers keeping things cheeky that's amazing i love it so good that's so good well how would a
boomer react to this product use it misuse it or be confused by it all right i'm gonna i'm gonna
(27:04):
try and channel my parents here use it misuse it or be confused so i think the the boomers they're
gonna kind of approach this with a mix of intrigue and suspicion right there why would anyone need
an app right when you can just go and make an appointment and drive to your doctor's office
because the most of them they're starting to retire now anyway right they've got the time to be able
(27:27):
to do that they need it because as they get to the assisted living and nursing homes guess what
happens there that's a fun they a lot of fun they get it on in those halls i think they'd use it
eventually once you know once they've phoned their kids and explained it how it works and how do i
set up a user profile and and have to explain each and every drop down and then you know their kids
(27:51):
have to be totally embarrassed by all the things they're now finding out about their parents
they'll misuse it because they're gonna print out everything all the digital results that are in
this app they will try and figure out how to like send it to a printer somehow get it printed out so
that they can take it to their doctor's office their biggest confusion though i think is trying
to figure out why the mascot of this thing looks more like pope francis than a health care tool
(28:16):
yeah i don't know so that's the boomers that's how i think the boomers go about what do you think
about gen X gen X is gonna see the love bug buster as an amusing but pragmatic solution to a common
problem they're gonna see it as the perfect way to skip the unnecessary and awkward social
interaction with the health care provider much like i would prefer to use an ATM over going to
(28:40):
that thing that i think they still call a teller and is rarely ever there they might be kind of
snarky but you know secretly appreciative of the discretion and the efficiency of the tool
well the concept of sharing these test results through a secure app might be too much for them
to handle making them a little bit nostalgic for the days of you know sealed envelopes and
(29:03):
like tangible signs of privacy right i think they're gonna like i think they're gonna want to know
i think they're gonna want like their Netflix DVD to come in an envelope not not streamed over video
do you know what i mean yes perfect analogy well next up would be the millennials i got the
millennials again we're so great we're just the best i think they're gonna embrace it one we need
(29:27):
it we're at the height of our prime right now right you're making even me stick right now dude
but i think they'll they'll just take to it with open arms i mean i think they would be thrilled to
avoid various different awkward pharmacy encounters like who wants to who wants to stand there in
line trying to get a an sdi test and looking at people who are obviously going to be looking back
(29:51):
at you and judging you they'd use it deliberately and diligently but i don't think they'd be able to
resist the urge to leave reviews and feedback on like google about it be like i just used the love
buster and then that's how they get fired from their next job right which i think is illegal
(30:11):
but it might be how they like don't get nobody swipes right on that profile yeah for sure right
i think though how they misuse it like they end up being like an overshare and like out on a first
date they're like okay what's your what's your love bug buster app profile say about you and and they
(30:32):
start start like oversharing on a first date like as a conversation starter i think that would be
that would probably be pretty bad for them i don't think we need to talk about
them having a practical expense of an sdi kit subscription with their parents because hopefully
they've flown the coop by now i mean how their millennials have but some of the youngers are
(30:53):
still on that netflix you know subscription right they're sharing that subscription across a household
air quotes the password sharing for their sdi test well you know if you got a boomer dad and a
you know maybe a boomer or a millennial son like let's just like go habsi's on this sdi love bug
(31:15):
buster subscription shall we pal yeah well you know save expenses i mean that's a very big millennial
thing right so i know you know that's okay i mean you got to work three jobs so i'm channeling my
younger siblings here and i'm thinking that gen z would find this love bug buster i'm actually
(31:36):
perfectly aligned with their digital first lifestyle like they would use the app it would be
seamless uh they it probably they love the fact that it integrates into apple health or google
health or whatever the heck they use i could see them like coming up with some weird competition in
their friend groups to have like the quickest clean bill of health adge on their profile where it's
(31:59):
like actually cool to be open about your sdi testing results um they might get confused over the
privacy setting thing which they rarely look at anyway and accidentally share their results to
social media feeds accidentally yeah sure right i mean you know on purpose they want to share it
(32:20):
you know if it's clean but if it's there's some unwanted visitors yeah yeah when it comes to gen
alpha they'd better be in bed and not using this at all in bed alone with teddy right in bed alone
very much a bed alone in bed alone yeah they shouldn't have been a part of this focus group now
(32:41):
that i think about it like they should be excluded yeah this one is not appropriate for for kids under
the age of 18 16 in some states 12 if you're in alabama we'll give them their free meal voucher
and have them sit outside with an ipad they've been excused yeah for sure sorry so thanks gen alpha
(33:04):
we'll tell you when you're older we'll call your parents let them know to pick you up
i'll wait you already messaged him from your watch okay we're good
all right uh that's true it's all very true so let's mix it up this time sarah let's go through
the round again but this time let's pick a pain point and talk about how each generation would
(33:31):
design a product or what product would they design to meet that pain point let's let's use a pain
point that's super awkward for everybody and nobody really likes the great unifier yes so nobody
likes having to drop your drawers when you go to see the doctor when they come in and they leave
(33:55):
you in this cold sterile room with the fluorescent lights above you sucking your soul yet are super
bright yet somehow super chilling on your naked skin it's very vulnerable you're in fear no one
likes it and you wish it could be like when you went to the masseuse when they say just undress
to your comfort level well my comfort level is three sweaters and two pairs of pants but no
(34:21):
i have to get naked for my doctor how would the different generations solve this problem i love this
i love this problem um well i think i think boomers you know not that it wouldn't be a tech
forward solution but it needs to be you know simply designed right and and very intuitive
and and have large buttons right so i think you know you just have like a big physical button
(34:45):
that they press when the doctor leaves the room and it actually signals to the doctor outside
visually that i'm ready now my pants are off clock's ticking and maybe it turns on like a
discrete heater under the table or like a blanket drops from the ceiling and you actually can be warm
again and maybe we play some like Kenny G on the cd player you know like something the cd right yeah
(35:13):
so what about gen x oh my gosh i love it um so gen x i mean if if they even end up getting to the
doctor i think that they would probably design something that makes the vibe ready to go for
them so some kind of gadget that kind of sits on the wall and like creates some like calming scenes
(35:34):
or or sprays out some kind of smell from their childhood when they could ride their rusty bikes
down the street nobody would bother them kind of thing something that brings them back to their
moments of joy and freedom that they had when they were still young before you know technology took
over and destroyed the world for them i think it probably has some kind of this device has some
(35:57):
kind of like virtual assistant that kind of keeps them entertained by offering some witty banner back
and forth with them maybe some inappropriate pop culture references that no longer hold up in today's
world from back in like the 70s and 80s i think that's that's kind of what i would help them out maybe
(36:17):
it's maybe the voice is like really suspiciously sounds like when no one a writer that's the kind
of feeling i'm getting for like the device to solve this issue i love it so it's like a
distracto solution right it doesn't even address the root cause it's just like numb the situation
for me i love it yes yes i think i think that's right i think that's right gen x needs to be
(36:40):
numb yeah maybe a flannel shirt would drop from the ceiling that they tie around their waist you know
okay so millennials millennials you know i know how much you love them oh i should say us they're
gonna they're gonna invent something really cool like a wearable like it that's a styling like you
(37:00):
know players ball type of robe that heats up on command it can connect to your smartphone
you can leave instant feedback on the punctuality of your doctor's return through through an app
it's just gonna be like oh of course they'll have like a their own hashtag associated with the product
(37:22):
not frozen just chosen or something horrible like that so yeah you know it'll be an immediately
tech forward yet sort of unnecessarily public experience for the rest of us god that is
unnecessarily public i think that's a millennial garage band yeah nice i love it they have their
own youtube channel of course of course they do what about gen z well gen z is gonna introduce a
(37:48):
brand new app it's gonna be called tick doc yes and it's an app that immediately starts a countdown
when the when the doctor leaves the room right and it turns it into a competitive game across all of
the patients in the entire like office suite like who's waiting the longest how fast did we
(38:09):
able to get out of all your clothes you can like unlock achievements like didn't touch the tongue
depressors like you know achievement unlocked it's like hunger games exactly exactly right but then
it like it automatically publishes the the stats about the doc out to i'm thinking like out to
(38:31):
zock doc like a jumbotron oh okay in the waiting room you know something you know something else
that like where it's where it's pitting the doctors against each other right because like
publicly shaming is very much a gen z thing i feel like and calling out bad behavior like this doc
made me last 30 minutes sitting here butt naked but through the gamification you'll get things like
(38:52):
free coffee if you had like a really long wait and there will be qr codes everywhere just everywhere
every every wall qr code wall waiting room exactly and each qr code takes you to something special
you know kind of choose your own adventure thing that's what gen z is doing i'm feeling real bad
for these doctors right now i feel like it's not going to solve the physician shortage problem all
(39:13):
of these products but anyway i digress gen alpha um how are they going to react to this situation
what are they going to come up with to solve this pain point right i mean my daughter is really into
robotics so i think it's they're gonna invent some type of robotic solution you know robo doc
you know junior or whatever like a mini little bot that activates when they're left alone because
(39:37):
they don't like being left alone right i mean heaven for bed god i'll tell me about it it's gonna have
you know video projector on it so much like the gen x solution where it was like you know
let's solve this problem through distraction project my favorite youtube challenges right in
front of my face maybe we can have like a trivia game to keep me engaged and you know just like
(39:59):
comfort items kids love comfort items so it's gonna dispense like a like out of its front like a warm
cuddly bear some heated blanket squish mellow squish mellow thank you um while they wait for the
human to reappear and hopefully their parent is in the room with them but you never know right i mean
the world moves fast yeah for sure my my pediatrician he's a great pediatrician um one thing that he
(40:24):
goes whenever he's doing an exam of my daughter uh or both my daughters um and he's checking her for
her more private areas he says i'm only doing this because your dad is in the room with oh that's
awesome and he and he tells her that every single time and i think it's just it's such an important
message for her to receive and i just think that's really cool and apropos of nothing so there it is
(40:52):
folks you've got the pain point you've got how the how the different generations would view them
we want to know what you think we're gonna put this out on social media on linkedin we're gonna
ask for your vote as to what generation designed the best device app robotic thing whatever it wearable
(41:14):
whatever to solve the problem of feeling too vulnerable in the doctor's office you vote and
tell us what you think can't vote for your own generation yes you have oh wait really i can't
vote for the one i'm gonna get out of here so thanks for going down that generational odyssey
with us we really enjoyed it uh stick around we'll be right back
(41:36):
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(43:30):
well welcome back listeners that was so much fun a generational odyssey for the ages no pun intended
nah nice one so right do you think i think that pun humor is a generational thing i think only
certain generations enjoy it i think gen z hates it millennials love it i think traditionalists
(43:52):
love it i think boomers hate it i don't think anybody really interested in what gen x thinks
about it gen alpha loves it gen alpha loves it too so i mean it all depends on what generation
you're in anyway thank you for spending the time with us listeners we had a blast hope you did as
well want to let you give you a heads up about our next guest coming next month we are so excited
(44:16):
to have dr jesse erinfeld the president of the american medical association he will be just
finishing up his tenure and his presidency with the am a and we are just totally excited
to have a conversation with him it's going to be for our june podcast so we'll be talking
everything from physician burnout to ai to pride month to his time at the am a so excited to have
(44:45):
him on the pod so please join us for next month don't forget to follow us on linkedin review us
wherever you pod and if you liked us tell a friend if you didn't like us tell an enemy but for
goodness sake please just tell someone so sara send us off with our health tech haiku for the month
awesome so in keeping with the theme today our haiku focuses on a typical older adult patient
(45:13):
since we're going to try to bust that ageism myth in health tech so here we go aged yet adept keen
he books his next checkup online old dog new tech tricks yes i love it that's so great
they're storming the field they're finally heard in health tech okay sorry thanks
(45:43):
all right well that's it thank you folks we'll see you next time we'll see you next time
time
tacky to the limit is produced by sarah harper and elliott wilson in consultation with chat gpt
(46:05):
because they are masochists and also don't have any sponsors yet music was composed by the world
famous court minister levin odonovan to consume more hilarious and informative content by digital
transformation and health care visit us online at tech it's the limit dot fun and don't forget
to follow us on linkedin twitter instagram and across the event horizon see you next time on
Welcome to Tech It To The Limit, the humorous and surprisingly informative podcast that
(00:22):
makes digital innovation and healthcare as entertaining as it is relevant.
I'm Sarah Harper.
And I'm Elliot Wilson.
And we're here to pull back the curtain on the world of digital transformation in healthcare.
Don't worry, you don't need a medical degree to join in on the fun.
Just a sense of humor and a penchant for all things health tech.
So buckle up folks.
It's time to...
(00:42):
Tech It To The Limit.
What's up Elliot?
What's up Sarah?
Oh my gosh.
It's episode two, season two.
So excited to see you again friend.
As always it's a pleasure to see your face.
(01:04):
In fact I'm going to move your screen right over here so I can see a little better.
And this zoom culture in which we live.
Pretty amazing though.
It is so great to be back with you here again on Tech It To The Limit and welcome everybody
back to join us.
It is our May episode and we're so delighted to be here with you.
(01:26):
You've got a great show for today.
We have a theme of generations today.
And Sarah do you mind indulging me for a moment as to why we're going through this?
Well I don't know if you've noticed but it seems like everywhere I turn big, big, giant
groups of people, aka generations, are not getting along.
(01:46):
What?
Well I mean it's not like it's a bloodbath.
I just had my parents over for dinner and can confirm.
Yeah but did you get like a passive aggressive meme from someone on the way home?
Anyway.
It's so true.
Well I mean I've been doing a lot of travel recently for work and I recently found myself
(02:08):
out in a health system in one of the mid west states and I was there in the lobby of a courtyard
and I started to strike up a conversation with a couple of guys that were manning the
bar and they were very clearly not of my generation.
I'm sad to say that they were much younger than us.
Wait what generation are you from again?
(02:28):
I'm a millennial, an elder millennial at that and proud of it.
Awesome, same here.
I believe you share that moniker with me, yes?
I think that's why we get along so well.
I think so.
So there I am and these two Gen Zers are behind the counter and we're having this great conversation
about the differences between generations and shortly thereafter some folks came in
(02:51):
that were deep, deep Gen Xers like it's 10 p.m.
Do you know where your kids are Gen Xers that get together regularly from all across the
country and just happen to be in this bar and it was really cool and we kind of all
started talking about the differences between Gen Z, millennials and Gen Xers and overwalks
this guy who is clearly a boomer and we're all like oh boy here comes the boomers right
(03:16):
and he sits down and he is a delight and we're having a great conversation about his experiences
as being a baby boomer.
Turns out this guy, are you ready for this?
This guy is Luke Duke from the Dukes of Hazard as in like the Duke Brothers?
(03:37):
I know and like Gen, the Gen Z guys behind the bar they had no clue who this guy was.
One of them had to call his dad and he said dad was like you better take a picture.
So anyway it got me thinking about generational things.
I think it's meaningful because we're seeing this generational shift in leadership in healthcare
(04:02):
and frankly it's not just in our industry but it's you know in all industries going
on right now I think that's just a function of time but we're also seeing this at a more
macro level.
We're seeing this play out in our national politics.
We're seeing the clash of generations on student campuses right now and we're seeing it play
out slowly at the presidential level too as two octogenarians go head to head this coming
(04:28):
out November.
So anyway we wanted to talk about generations and so we decided we were going to start that
by bringing back one of our favorite segments the Health Tech Herald.
Awesome so just to remind you listeners what is Health Tech Herald.
Elliot and I go out and read some scientific journal articles with a nice glass of Cabernet
(04:54):
in front of the fire with our PJs which is what elder millennials enjoy doing on a Saturday
evening and we bring them back to the show to share with each other and to share with
you so we read those articles and we distill down our top two nuggets from each read and
then we'll post the link to the journal article in the show notes for you all to indulge by
(05:18):
the fire with your own glass of Cabernet if you happen to be like us.
So the first article that I read around this theme of generational differences and remember
we're kind of looking at we're approaching this this conversation from the lens of Health
Tech right.
For the first article that I read was called age differences in the use of health information
(05:39):
technology among adults in the United States and this was an analysis of the Health Information
National Trends Survey.
It was an article published in 2024 so dare I say it's a little bit of older data but
still relevant.
Oh I forgot to mention too it's from the Journal of Paging and Health.
(06:00):
So my top two takeaways from from reading this article were that older adults which
are defined in this study as 65 years of age or older are less likely than everyone else
who's younger than they are to own health information technology or hit devices and
use them for health care decision making.
(06:20):
This was attenuated that word came from the article I just love it so much it just rolls
off the tongue.
It was attenuated by hit ownership so if you own a device you're actually more likely to
use it for health care decision making sure King I know.
No I'm so surprised.
Yeah so surprised which suggests that not having access to technology may limit engagement
(06:46):
with health information technology by the part of older adults.
So again if you don't have a device how the heck are you supposed to engage with the products
and services that are being designed for you.
And they came up with this in 2021 way back in 2021.
Right so we're a little bit slow on the uptake here folks like a research translation to
(07:07):
practice still sadly moving at a glacial pace.
The other second nugget that I have from the article is that older adults were less likely
than their younger counterparts to withhold information from their health care providers
due to concerns about security or privacy of their medical records which I found really
surprising because you often hear stereotypes in the news media or even in conversation
(07:32):
that you know older adults are worried about data privacy and so they're not going to engage.
But this could actually point towards a growing trust gap between physicians and younger patients
and that's a topic we've actually discussed on this show last season before.
So that's my first article I'll pass the baton to you or maybe throw the newspaper
(07:53):
your way Elliot since we were born when we actually received newspapers thrown at our
doors to share your top two nuggets from your article.
Yeah I think those are fascinating especially the one about the older adults being less
likely than younger adults to withhold their information because that was actually different
than one of the things that I found.
Ah science so confounding.
(08:13):
Consensus.
So my first article here comes from Springer Nature in 2020.
Intergenerational effects of technology why millennial physicians may be less at risk
for burnout than baby boomers.
And I thought this was an interesting article long story short the you know spoiler alert
(08:37):
the reason is because we're used to technology we're digital natives versus digital foreigners
or digital migrants I think is what the term they used.
Digital victims.
Digital victims.
Digital stand buyers.
That's right and so they you know millennials have grown up in a world and became used to
(08:58):
a world that moves at an ever accelerating pace and I think so they're more likely to
be able to absorb more and more of that burnout that often tends to be exacerbated by the
introduction of technology into practice as opposed to relieving it.
But just in general boomers this article were reported as being less comfortable with digital
(09:18):
technology compared to millennials and certainly Gen Z.
But I thought this was really kind of interesting is that the part of the reason for that is
they had to make decisions about health care and health care technologies like leaders
policymakers had to make decisions about health care and technology before they were
even being used in clinical practice and and this this next nugget I thought was just
(09:43):
this blew my mind thinking about this.
So HIPAA was written and enacted in 96.
Okay I was 12 you were 12 right.
Google.com wasn't a registered domain until 1997.
Think about that.
Google has been on the books and is still considered like the gold standard pinnacle
(10:09):
the A the apex data privacy kind of policy out there and it's older than Google.
Was it written in stone and delivered from a mountaintop next to a burning bush.
I mean come on people.
It's time to update it.
I think it's about time for an update in how we in how we go about data governance and
(10:31):
privacy practices.
But then for the listeners that are interested this article has a fantastic and I mean fantastic
sort of table in it.
So my nugget is an entire table that goes into the differences between all the different
generations back from the traditionalists or I guess some people call it the silent
(10:51):
generation before the boomers all the way up to Gen Z and talks about their defining
experience you know for you know for us being the dot com bubble or social media or especially
911 for Gen Z its climate change and COVID-19 different defining products of their generation
right color TV for the boomers right Ed Sullivan Beatles you know showing up etc right to the
(11:18):
Walkman for Gen X to the iPods for us you know go take a look at this article and read
through even if you just read through that table is a fascinating kind of exploration
of what shapes the mindset of the different generations.
Thank you for planning my next Saturday night I cannot wait to go check out this table and
(11:38):
just for the record as an elder millennial I did own both the Walkman and an iPod.
Yes yes the iPod the iPod shuffle right which is way too small too small too small Steve
Jobs is rolling over and his grave.
Oh my transition here I apologize.
(12:03):
My next article was called older adults have used technology keeping in with the theme
that I had from a previous article why health care professionals must overcome ageism in
digital health.
It's from the Journal of Translational Behavioral Medicine it was published in 2022 so a little
bit more recent and the reason I wanted to dive into this article is because in a lot
(12:27):
of my work in previous projects I've designed tech specifically for patients and I'm working
with clinicians as clinicians as co-designers I have witnessed almost in every single project
somebody say oh yeah but like our older patients are going to be interested in this right so
we don't have to worry about their needs and I'm like you know where is the evidence
(12:49):
space that is going to counteract that assumption I need to find it right so my top two nuggets
from this article which really ended up being more like six so I'll fly through them is
that the number of older adults using smartphones increased dramatically from 2013 to 2021 so
about 20% in 2013 up to more than 60% in 2021 huge leap about 90% of older adults own a laptop
(13:17):
or computer and use the internet regularly as of 2022 and this was published and during
COVID-19 the percentage of older adults that engage with telehealth rose from about 5%
to over 20% so huge leap right they are engaging so what can we as designers of health tech
for all patients including older adults which is the fastest growing segment right do about
(13:41):
it well we can stop being tools we can invest in education and awareness targeted not only
ourselves as designers but as clinicians who are co-designers for these patients and
we need to dispel the myth that older adults don't use tech and emphasize the unique user
needs of an older adult vis-a-vis these products and services basically in short I'm saying
(14:06):
we need to design with inclusivity in mind and just like our pediatric patients we don't want to
let our older adult patients be an afterthought we need to design for their unique needs and we
need to present provide the necessary wraparound supports for these end users to ensure usability
and adoption of these products and services mic drop wow wow that was intense you really care
(14:30):
for the for the those boomers you got a lot of boomer love here I feel like I blacked out what did
I say I do care I do care a lot actually about designing with inclusivity in mind so whether
whether we want to help them or not we have to and it's important to design for them to be able
(14:51):
to use that tech now that's how you really feel oh yeah I'm sorry I'm sorry for being so much more
cynical than you I'm so sorry all right what was your next article my next article came from
actually the world economic forums not quite the scientific journal but a still an interesting
article I thought it was pulling together a bunch of different data from consumer centric data from
(15:13):
various different studies and kind of putting it into a probably a clickbait article and I got
baited so it's called how Gen Z are reshaping the healthcare industry what a couple of things I
found here so unlike the article that you mentioned earlier right that has said that older adults
were more likely to share than than younger generations their their data this article suggests
(15:38):
that Gen Z are two times as likely as other generations to share their health information
with providers outside of their primary care doctor like health insurers retail clinics third party
apps and vendor and other vendors and things like that and I think that that is indicative of the
world in which they grew up which is constantly asking them for their information right because
(16:04):
as people become the product that gets sold right as we give our information to be bundled and sold
to others to target ads against us or at us to buy things it's almost a Pavlovian response to just
just share that data and so I think this article is kind of indicative of that so I thought that was
(16:26):
an interesting kind of juxtaposition with your other article but you know no surprise here that
66 percent of Gen Gen Z compared with 40 percent of other generations are using digital tools for
all the different wellness health care kind of stuff to monitor their health going back to the
conversation we had with Dr. G last month this article also mentioned around 42 percent of Gen
(16:51):
Z respondents to their survey saying they relied on social media to get medical information compared
to only 20 percent of non-G respondents and I don't think that number is going ever going to go down
from here right that is where it is but I think it's also important to note that legitimate news
outlets are also moving to social media in order to meet that trend to meet that that that need there
(17:19):
and so just by saying they're going to social media to get medical information isn't necessarily a
bad thing they could still be going to reputable sources they are certainly out there so it's not
necessarily a bad thing yeah to your point Dr. G described that clinic Cleveland Clinic use case
right where having did a public health campaign and which was very effective so anyway well that
(17:44):
was fascinating Elliot I really appreciate your tying it back to Dr. G from the previous episode
and I'm even more excited about our next segment which is brand new that we're going to be introducing
after the break so stick around it's called not your average focus group stick around we'll be right back
(18:14):
take it to the limit is proudly sponsored by pharma cloud because when your job security is less
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(20:57):
welcome back listeners we hope you enjoyed that message from one of our fake sponsors
thanks for tuning in to tech to the limit we're so glad you're here even more pumped to introduce
this brand new segment called not your average focus group so how we're going to do this we're
going to keep in with the theme of the episode the generational theme and we're going to introduce
(21:19):
to you a health tech product fictional but could be real that's ended solving a particular
pain point that many adults face throughout their life and we're going to describe how each
generation may use it misuse it or be utterly confused by it but first we're going to introduce
(21:39):
to you our five stars of this focus group pick it off with the boomers eliot okay so for the
uninitiated when we talk about different generations you know there's no standard so we thought we
would put some standards around it at least for the purposes of today's conversation so
so we like to be as objective as possible here on tech at the limit so the first generation
(22:05):
the oldest generation we're going to talk about apparently we are just going to not even worry
about the traditionalists at this point our first generation that we're going to talk about is the
boomers you know them you love them boomers come to us from around 1946 to 1964 they are the
(22:27):
original i walked uphill both ways at healthcare education and housing was way less expensive
for us they can be found reminiscing about the days when phones were just attached to walls and
conversations weren't typed and how you had to get up to change the channel just to be able to
watch television if they even had a television who's next thank you eliot so the next generation
(22:53):
joining our focus group today is gen x coming into the world between 1965 and 1979 gen x is the
overlooked middle child of generations can totally relate to that as a middle child they are experts
at self-sufficiency and probably the last cohort of folks to appreciate the art of a well curated
(23:15):
mixtape which is not true because elder millennials also remember that any complaints about these
generational descriptions folks i want you to submit to the chat gpt corporate up yeah for sure
you know it's funny i forgot about gen x i forgot they totally exist there's a middle child
oh well the next generation up is the the greatest generation that ever existed the millennials
(23:38):
starting in 1980 give or take uh going all the way up to 1994 their official title is generation
why but we know them and love them as millennials they are the pioneers of hashtag activism and
might be caught explaining why artisanal coffee and avocado terst is worth the extra four dollars
(24:01):
all while streaming a documentary on their latest cause du jour it sounds like such a great
generation i really want to hang out with them they are the best they have the best music too
and the next generation is going to be joining our focus group today was born between 1995
and 2009 and they're known as gen z they are fluent in memes eye rolls that can get stuck
(24:25):
mastering the art of viral trends while simultaneously saving for retirement before
their 20th birthday i really wish i had done that uh what's the last generation going to be joining
us elliot so the last generation well what happens when you when you get to z you got a start over
somewhere and we decided to go back to the greeks the next generation is our kids generation which is
(24:48):
gen alpha born from 2010 to currently right now all the way out to 2025 so gen alpha is growing up
with ipads in hand from the womb it's like they come out the doctor slaps them and hands them an
ipad do they even do they do that still anymore that's like such a that's such a boomer thing to
(25:08):
say like nobody slaps the baby when they come out anymore right it's kind of a test you know but
i'm not an obstetrician and for the record my kids don't have ipads but keep going well they're
likely to consider vic physical books or any physical media as vintage collectibles and might just
automate their chores if given the right gadgets and and just another kind of note about gen alpha
(25:32):
this is something i've noticed about my own kids these are the kids that will grow up never knowing
what it's like to not talk to their house and have their house talk back to yeah that's great which i
always think is very interesting so now that we have our focus group assembled we're going to
introduce the product okay so keep in mind those five individuals sitting in an awkward circle with
(25:52):
a facilitator who has a pen and paper okay it's just you know a health tech podcast all right
anyway so meet the lovebug buster your new best friend in the world of modern dating this is
just an plenty at home sti testing kit with the lovebug buster you can get quick reliable results
(26:13):
in the privacy of your home each kit features our unique bug detectors test strips amusingly
shaped like little critters that make testing less daunting and a lot more fun plus our love doctor
digital app delivers your results confidentially and offers comedic advice on what to do next
i'm not going off no matter your results the lovebug buster is here to help you manage your
(26:39):
sexual health with a smile the lovebug buster is not just about detecting unwelcome guests
it's about empowering you with knowledge and keeping things cheeky all right so let's kick it off with
the boomers keeping things cheeky that's amazing i love it so good that's so good well how would a
boomer react to this product use it misuse it or be confused by it all right i'm gonna i'm gonna
(27:04):
try and channel my parents here use it misuse it or be confused so i think the the boomers they're
gonna kind of approach this with a mix of intrigue and suspicion right there why would anyone need
an app right when you can just go and make an appointment and drive to your doctor's office
because the most of them they're starting to retire now anyway right they've got the time to be able
(27:27):
to do that they need it because as they get to the assisted living and nursing homes guess what
happens there that's a fun they a lot of fun they get it on in those halls i think they'd use it
eventually once you know once they've phoned their kids and explained it how it works and how do i
set up a user profile and and have to explain each and every drop down and then you know their kids
(27:51):
have to be totally embarrassed by all the things they're now finding out about their parents
they'll misuse it because they're gonna print out everything all the digital results that are in
this app they will try and figure out how to like send it to a printer somehow get it printed out so
that they can take it to their doctor's office their biggest confusion though i think is trying
to figure out why the mascot of this thing looks more like pope francis than a health care tool
(28:16):
yeah i don't know so that's the boomers that's how i think the boomers go about what do you think
about gen X gen X is gonna see the love bug buster as an amusing but pragmatic solution to a common
problem they're gonna see it as the perfect way to skip the unnecessary and awkward social
interaction with the health care provider much like i would prefer to use an ATM over going to
(28:40):
that thing that i think they still call a teller and is rarely ever there they might be kind of
snarky but you know secretly appreciative of the discretion and the efficiency of the tool
well the concept of sharing these test results through a secure app might be too much for them
to handle making them a little bit nostalgic for the days of you know sealed envelopes and
(29:03):
like tangible signs of privacy right i think they're gonna like i think they're gonna want to know
i think they're gonna want like their Netflix DVD to come in an envelope not not streamed over video
do you know what i mean yes perfect analogy well next up would be the millennials i got the
millennials again we're so great we're just the best i think they're gonna embrace it one we need
(29:27):
it we're at the height of our prime right now right you're making even me stick right now dude
but i think they'll they'll just take to it with open arms i mean i think they would be thrilled to
avoid various different awkward pharmacy encounters like who wants to who wants to stand there in
line trying to get a an sdi test and looking at people who are obviously going to be looking back
(29:51):
at you and judging you they'd use it deliberately and diligently but i don't think they'd be able to
resist the urge to leave reviews and feedback on like google about it be like i just used the love
buster and then that's how they get fired from their next job right which i think is illegal
(30:11):
but it might be how they like don't get nobody swipes right on that profile yeah for sure right
i think though how they misuse it like they end up being like an overshare and like out on a first
date they're like okay what's your what's your love bug buster app profile say about you and and they
(30:32):
start start like oversharing on a first date like as a conversation starter i think that would be
that would probably be pretty bad for them i don't think we need to talk about
them having a practical expense of an sdi kit subscription with their parents because hopefully
they've flown the coop by now i mean how their millennials have but some of the youngers are
(30:53):
still on that netflix you know subscription right they're sharing that subscription across a household
air quotes the password sharing for their sdi test well you know if you got a boomer dad and a
you know maybe a boomer or a millennial son like let's just like go habsi's on this sdi love bug
(31:15):
buster subscription shall we pal yeah well you know save expenses i mean that's a very big millennial
thing right so i know you know that's okay i mean you got to work three jobs so i'm channeling my
younger siblings here and i'm thinking that gen z would find this love bug buster i'm actually
(31:36):
perfectly aligned with their digital first lifestyle like they would use the app it would be
seamless uh they it probably they love the fact that it integrates into apple health or google
health or whatever the heck they use i could see them like coming up with some weird competition in
their friend groups to have like the quickest clean bill of health adge on their profile where it's
(31:59):
like actually cool to be open about your sdi testing results um they might get confused over the
privacy setting thing which they rarely look at anyway and accidentally share their results to
social media feeds accidentally yeah sure right i mean you know on purpose they want to share it
(32:20):
you know if it's clean but if it's there's some unwanted visitors yeah yeah when it comes to gen
alpha they'd better be in bed and not using this at all in bed alone with teddy right in bed alone
very much a bed alone in bed alone yeah they shouldn't have been a part of this focus group now
(32:41):
that i think about it like they should be excluded yeah this one is not appropriate for for kids under
the age of 18 16 in some states 12 if you're in alabama we'll give them their free meal voucher
and have them sit outside with an ipad they've been excused yeah for sure sorry so thanks gen alpha
(33:04):
we'll tell you when you're older we'll call your parents let them know to pick you up
i'll wait you already messaged him from your watch okay we're good
all right uh that's true it's all very true so let's mix it up this time sarah let's go through
the round again but this time let's pick a pain point and talk about how each generation would
(33:31):
design a product or what product would they design to meet that pain point let's let's use a pain
point that's super awkward for everybody and nobody really likes the great unifier yes so nobody
likes having to drop your drawers when you go to see the doctor when they come in and they leave
(33:55):
you in this cold sterile room with the fluorescent lights above you sucking your soul yet are super
bright yet somehow super chilling on your naked skin it's very vulnerable you're in fear no one
likes it and you wish it could be like when you went to the masseuse when they say just undress
to your comfort level well my comfort level is three sweaters and two pairs of pants but no
(34:21):
i have to get naked for my doctor how would the different generations solve this problem i love this
i love this problem um well i think i think boomers you know not that it wouldn't be a tech
forward solution but it needs to be you know simply designed right and and very intuitive
and and have large buttons right so i think you know you just have like a big physical button
(34:45):
that they press when the doctor leaves the room and it actually signals to the doctor outside
visually that i'm ready now my pants are off clock's ticking and maybe it turns on like a
discrete heater under the table or like a blanket drops from the ceiling and you actually can be warm
again and maybe we play some like Kenny G on the cd player you know like something the cd right yeah
(35:13):
so what about gen x oh my gosh i love it um so gen x i mean if if they even end up getting to the
doctor i think that they would probably design something that makes the vibe ready to go for
them so some kind of gadget that kind of sits on the wall and like creates some like calming scenes
(35:34):
or or sprays out some kind of smell from their childhood when they could ride their rusty bikes
down the street nobody would bother them kind of thing something that brings them back to their
moments of joy and freedom that they had when they were still young before you know technology took
over and destroyed the world for them i think it probably has some kind of this device has some
(35:57):
kind of like virtual assistant that kind of keeps them entertained by offering some witty banner back
and forth with them maybe some inappropriate pop culture references that no longer hold up in today's
world from back in like the 70s and 80s i think that's that's kind of what i would help them out maybe
(36:17):
it's maybe the voice is like really suspiciously sounds like when no one a writer that's the kind
of feeling i'm getting for like the device to solve this issue i love it so it's like a
distracto solution right it doesn't even address the root cause it's just like numb the situation
for me i love it yes yes i think i think that's right i think that's right gen x needs to be
(36:40):
numb yeah maybe a flannel shirt would drop from the ceiling that they tie around their waist you know
okay so millennials millennials you know i know how much you love them oh i should say us they're
gonna they're gonna invent something really cool like a wearable like it that's a styling like you
(37:00):
know players ball type of robe that heats up on command it can connect to your smartphone
you can leave instant feedback on the punctuality of your doctor's return through through an app
it's just gonna be like oh of course they'll have like a their own hashtag associated with the product
(37:22):
not frozen just chosen or something horrible like that so yeah you know it'll be an immediately
tech forward yet sort of unnecessarily public experience for the rest of us god that is
unnecessarily public i think that's a millennial garage band yeah nice i love it they have their
own youtube channel of course of course they do what about gen z well gen z is gonna introduce a
(37:48):
brand new app it's gonna be called tick doc yes and it's an app that immediately starts a countdown
when the when the doctor leaves the room right and it turns it into a competitive game across all of
the patients in the entire like office suite like who's waiting the longest how fast did we
(38:09):
able to get out of all your clothes you can like unlock achievements like didn't touch the tongue
depressors like you know achievement unlocked it's like hunger games exactly exactly right but then
it like it automatically publishes the the stats about the doc out to i'm thinking like out to
(38:31):
zock doc like a jumbotron oh okay in the waiting room you know something you know something else
that like where it's where it's pitting the doctors against each other right because like
publicly shaming is very much a gen z thing i feel like and calling out bad behavior like this doc
made me last 30 minutes sitting here butt naked but through the gamification you'll get things like
(38:52):
free coffee if you had like a really long wait and there will be qr codes everywhere just everywhere
every every wall qr code wall waiting room exactly and each qr code takes you to something special
you know kind of choose your own adventure thing that's what gen z is doing i'm feeling real bad
for these doctors right now i feel like it's not going to solve the physician shortage problem all
(39:13):
of these products but anyway i digress gen alpha um how are they going to react to this situation
what are they going to come up with to solve this pain point right i mean my daughter is really into
robotics so i think it's they're gonna invent some type of robotic solution you know robo doc
you know junior or whatever like a mini little bot that activates when they're left alone because
(39:37):
they don't like being left alone right i mean heaven for bed god i'll tell me about it it's gonna have
you know video projector on it so much like the gen x solution where it was like you know
let's solve this problem through distraction project my favorite youtube challenges right in
front of my face maybe we can have like a trivia game to keep me engaged and you know just like
(39:59):
comfort items kids love comfort items so it's gonna dispense like a like out of its front like a warm
cuddly bear some heated blanket squish mellow squish mellow thank you um while they wait for the
human to reappear and hopefully their parent is in the room with them but you never know right i mean
the world moves fast yeah for sure my my pediatrician he's a great pediatrician um one thing that he
(40:24):
goes whenever he's doing an exam of my daughter uh or both my daughters um and he's checking her for
her more private areas he says i'm only doing this because your dad is in the room with oh that's
awesome and he and he tells her that every single time and i think it's just it's such an important
message for her to receive and i just think that's really cool and apropos of nothing so there it is
(40:52):
folks you've got the pain point you've got how the how the different generations would view them
we want to know what you think we're gonna put this out on social media on linkedin we're gonna
ask for your vote as to what generation designed the best device app robotic thing whatever it wearable
(41:14):
whatever to solve the problem of feeling too vulnerable in the doctor's office you vote and
tell us what you think can't vote for your own generation yes you have oh wait really i can't
vote for the one i'm gonna get out of here so thanks for going down that generational odyssey
with us we really enjoyed it uh stick around we'll be right back
(41:36):
welcome to the future of senior health care with the holler health hub the only device that lets
you manage your health by just yelling at it tired of pecking at screens to log your daily blood sugar
just holler hey my sugar's higher than a kite today got any hot tips need to book that colonoscopy
(41:59):
but hate phone calls laden with endless questions about your medical history grab your megaphone
and holler hey book my dreaded scope but don't forget i didn't retire to wake up early make it
an afternoon appointment confused by your doctor's note holler for a translation hey what on earth
does presbycusis mean and turn up the volume when you respond to me i can't hear a darn thing you're
(42:23):
saying need to refill your prescription for viagra but don't want to set off the town gossip mill
holler for drone delivery hey i need to pay a visit to dr v stat from rumor free refills to
decoded dr jargon the holler health hub doesn't just listen it really understands your struggle
(42:44):
so ditch the tiny buttons miniscule font confusing apps and endlessly impersonal telephone triage
questions with holler health hub managing your health care it's as easy as talking to your plants
except this gadget talks back and with sass visit holla back y'all today and see how holler health
hub can get you to actually use health tech enter the promo code this is not a scam at checkout
(43:10):
for a complimentary megaphone better health is only shouting distance away
(43:30):
well welcome back listeners that was so much fun a generational odyssey for the ages no pun intended
nah nice one so right do you think i think that pun humor is a generational thing i think only
certain generations enjoy it i think gen z hates it millennials love it i think traditionalists
(43:52):
love it i think boomers hate it i don't think anybody really interested in what gen x thinks
about it gen alpha loves it gen alpha loves it too so i mean it all depends on what generation
you're in anyway thank you for spending the time with us listeners we had a blast hope you did as
well want to let you give you a heads up about our next guest coming next month we are so excited
(44:16):
to have dr jesse erinfeld the president of the american medical association he will be just
finishing up his tenure and his presidency with the am a and we are just totally excited
to have a conversation with him it's going to be for our june podcast so we'll be talking
everything from physician burnout to ai to pride month to his time at the am a so excited to have
(44:45):
him on the pod so please join us for next month don't forget to follow us on linkedin review us
wherever you pod and if you liked us tell a friend if you didn't like us tell an enemy but for
goodness sake please just tell someone so sara send us off with our health tech haiku for the month
awesome so in keeping with the theme today our haiku focuses on a typical older adult patient
(45:13):
since we're going to try to bust that ageism myth in health tech so here we go aged yet adept keen
he books his next checkup online old dog new tech tricks yes i love it that's so great
they're storming the field they're finally heard in health tech okay sorry thanks
(45:43):
all right well that's it thank you folks we'll see you next time we'll see you next time
time
tacky to the limit is produced by sarah harper and elliott wilson in consultation with chat gpt
(46:05):
because they are masochists and also don't have any sponsors yet music was composed by the world
famous court minister levin odonovan to consume more hilarious and informative content by digital
transformation and health care visit us online at tech it's the limit dot fun and don't forget
to follow us on linkedin twitter instagram and across the event horizon see you next time on
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