Blog

You don’t have to be nice, but it helps

18 April 2015

Recently I spent a great couple of days at Project 15. There was a series of great speakers on day one – covering topics as diverse as creative disruption and NZ exports. There were some good workshop sessions on the second day, and because of where I am at, some were more relevant to me than others.

As with any conference, I got to network with a few people. I am not a natural networker at this type of event – I would rather not try and break in to conversations or groups, so I end up spending a bit of time during the morning tea and lunchtime parts by myself.

However, I did get to meet one of my science heroes, Michelle Dickinson AKA Nanogirl. And my brief chat with her gave me such a boost, because she was enthusiastic about Wellbands and understood its potential.

And that conversation contrasted with another one that I had at the conference, where the person I was speaking to just spent time trying to tear my idea down. And that would have been fine – except that person also represented an early idea incubator...and I won’t be knocking on their door any time soon.

Interestingly, this is an attitude I have encountered a few times and I expect to see this again and again. I think it is usually referred to as the Tall Poppy syndrome, or the Great Kiwi Knocking machine. Maybe that is why Kiwis never learned to fly.

To be clear, I don’t mind feedback – or constructive criticism. But like every other entrepreneur who is starting out, it takes a lot of energy to keep going on your idea. You have limited resources, and every day you have to learn as much as you can.

So by now I am getting pretty quick at sorting out who can help me and who is just full of hot air. And that is why my conversation with Michelle ended up being so important to me.

Thanks Nanogirl – for creating a science pathway for young innovators to follow, and for being the kind of superhero for ideas that we all need.

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3 Reasons Disney will never make MagicBands for Hospitals

8 April 2015

Disney theme parks pitch themselves as “the happiest place on earth”. And it is easy to see why. The parks are inviting, the rides are entertaining, and everything you see is spotlessly clean.

It is undeniable that Disney theme parks are beautifully designed; drawing squeals of excitement from visitors. Every detail has been thought of and carefully executed with amazing precision — which is why those pesky functional items are painted an attractive go away green.

One of Disney’s latest upgrades offered to its theme park visitors is the Disney MagicBand, a wearable wristband that combines your hotel room key, park entry and seamless payment connection all-in-one. These are very clever, very functional bands.

Some people are suggesting the MagicBand could be used in hospitals. I doubt it. There are several important elements that make MagicBands work. So many of these are missing in hospitals. Here are my top 3 reasons why I think Disney are not planning to take over the hospital wristband market.

1. Hospitals are not part of Disney’s happiest places on earth

Disney has spent billions of dollars developing theme parks that are exciting, entertaining and fun. Yes, Brand Disney might be used to make children feel better — but that is best delivered through merchandise such as Mickey Coloring Books and Elsa Dolls, rather than an imprint of Mickey Mouse ears on your hospital ID wristband.

2. Disney know they are experts in entertainment, not healthcare

When you are running a business, and a very profitable one, it pays to stick with your market niche. Sure, look at ways to innovate — but go with what you know. It would take a giant leap of faith for Disney to move from entertainment to healthcare, and could suck the entertainment giant down one very large and inescapable black hole of doom.

3. What works for Disney won’t necessarily work anywhere else

If you take a look at the proprietary technology developed for MagicBands, you get a glimpse into the complexity that underpins the (rumored) billion dollar investment in MagicBands. As explained in Wired, the MagicBand experience is built exclusively for Disney, so that it works seamlessly in their theme parks, and on Disney Cruise Ships.

Each of these places are controlled environments, where you can draw a line around the perimeter and identify the area inside as “Disney controlled”. And because it is totally voluntary to go onto a Disney site, you opt-in for Disney to use your information for their business. And you’re probably okay with that. But you might be less okay if Disney held the key to all of your health records as well. That might be less entertaining or fun for you.

Thankfully, Disney haven’t shown any interest in healthcare — other than making sure that their visitors are healthy enough to enjoy the rides and entertainment on offer at their theme parks. Yes, during your visit Disney will collect a lot of data about you and your habits, but so does Google.

Disney are — and hopefully always will be — great at what they do. If it is entertainment you are after, you can’t get much better.

However, we need to stop believing that Disney magic will somehow save healthcare. The power to change healthcare forever lives in people like you and me. There is a strong hint of hope for improving healthcare. While MagicBands might not be the solution, it is true that hospital wristbands need to go through the wearables revolution.

And achieving that will be truly magical.

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3 reasons why it is important to do your homework

30 March 2015

I must admit that things have got very busy all of a sudden – and I am finding it hard to fit everything in. One thing I haven’t always made a priority is homework. Yes, I know it is there, and it needs to be done - but there are often more fun things to do, like updating my website or playing a quick game of hockey with my little brother.
But these things don’t pay off.  Homework does.

1. Homework reinforces what you have learned

Every day there are so many things you learn. And this doesn't just happen at school - opportunities are everywhere. Can you think of a time where you heard something once, but when you go to repeat it to someone else, you can’t quite remember the important details?

Did you know that we only remember about 20-30% of what we are told? I reckon that sometimes it is even less than that. Going over what you have learned – particularly if it was something important – is pretty useful. It can increase your ability to remember up to 50-70%. So doing your homework can be pretty useful after all.

2. Homework helps you know who your real competition is

I would like to think that my idea is so original, that nobody has thought of Wellbands before. But maybe they have – or maybe they have thought of parts of it.  Take Borda technology, for example.  They make tags that go onto hospital wristbands and do some interesting other stuff around nurse call buttons and fall alerts.  Are they the same? No.  But they are good to learn from.

You might also remember the work that Sir Ray Avery did a while back with his team working on the Vigil bands.  They have produced a wristband that measures heartbeats and a few other things.  Are they the same? No. They have won some cool awards though.

How about the wristband that holds the key to the most magical place on earth? Disney have done an amazing job in developing their MagicBands, and they do some pretty neat (and slightly scary) stuff, and there has been a lot of talk about adapting them for hospitals. Are they the same? No. Disney bands were designed to work really well in a predictable closed circuit environment...and they have really different reasons for doing the things they do.

3. Homework helps you become really good at what you do

Being good at something takes practice.  I wouldn't call myself an expert (in fact I’m not) and I am grateful to have a good team around me. People like Lee – he is an expert at making stuff. You can pretty much ask him to make anything, and he does.

But Lee didn't get good overnight – it took lots of practice to be able to do the things he can do, and he did lots of homework – learning things, and repeating what he had learned till it became second nature.  And he is now so good, that he can help out people like me.

Eventually I hope to be that good too, but for now, I better do my homework.

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While you were sleeping – the real cost of theft in our hospitals, and what we can do about it

3 April 2015

We all know that the costs of healthcare are escalating. In many countries healthcare costs account for the single biggest jump in Government expenditure. Any cuts to healthcare funding directly affects the lives of real people.

But there is a problem in health funding that we are ignoring — theft.

Hospital administrators are desperately looking for new ways to cut spending — shutting down services, reducing staff numbers and cutting clinic hours. But they aren’t giving enough attention to the things that they have already paid for — expensive equipment walks out the door every day.

The average hospital loses over $400,000 worth of equipment every year.

Theft hits home for hospital patients too, with thieves rifling through handbags, wallets and jackets when the patient is out of the room getting treatment. It is difficult to cope with a serious illness while in hospital — without the added worry of a stranger sifting through your belongings.

Theft can be particularly hard on elderly patients. A wedding ring may not have much cash value, but it still might represent 50 years of marriage. Sentimental value is incredibly hard to put a real value on, and cannot be replaced.

The real financial costs are not insubstantial either. Texas-based company VHA reports that in the US alone, costs run into the millions. In the US, patients lose $52 Million worth of personal items each year due theft.

So what can we do about it? GE Healthcare and Ekahau Technologies are starting to deal with the problem of stolen equipment through RFID tracking. Their technology reduces the chance of equipment simply walking out the door, or being misplaced in a dusty storage cupboard on another floor. And this technology will improve over time, saving hospitals valuable health dollars that can be used to improve healthcare.

Solving the security problem for patient belongings is not so simple. No one wants to have to remember a pin to a coded locker down the hall. It is inconvenient to have to empty out your bag so that you only carry the all-but-essentials every time you need to go into hospital. And it is unsafe to leave your valuables in your car.

But there is a solution — increasing patient safety and overall wellbeing. Most hospitals have bedside cabinets for use by patients. These can be fitted with secure and reliable technology to allow coded entry. Upgrading hospital wristbands with sensor technology can provide a secure, personalised keyless entry to these cabinets.

I have designed Wellbands — hi-tech hospital wristbands — to include this technology. I am making use of clever technology to solve real, everyday problems in hospitals, and genuinely trying to improve the overall hospital experience for patients. Learn more about Wellbands by having a look around my website.

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3 tips on how to make a good crowdfunding video

26 March 2015

Imagine you are trying to bring a new product to market. You know its hope, its promise- and it has tons of features to benefit everyone. But how do you convey that in less than two minutes?

It took me four separate attempts to make a storyboard for my Wellbands video. The first attempt helped me learn what storyboarding does. On the second attempt I got stuck trying to write the script. Like, really stuck. The third attempt was way too long, and had about three stories in one. My final attempt is more or less what you see in the Wellbands video – well some of it anyway.

Creating a video that people want to watch is hard work. I’m no expert, but I think it is useful to share some of the things I learnt along the way.

Tip 1: It’s not about the product

It is easy for me to make a great video about the awesome features and benefits of Wellbands. But the truth is, that is only interesting to me. I had watched Simon Sinek’s TED talk where he talks about starting with the why, and yet my first attempt at storyboarding did the complete opposite. Because…explaining why you are doing something is hard. It’s way easier to explain the features and benefits. That might be why some of those Kickstarter videos you see might be impressive and flashy – but it just isn't enough to get you to donate.

Tip 2: It’s not about you

You can bring many things to your project – passion, vision, energy and drive. But your video isn't about you. Your video is about how you make people feel. Are they happy, sad, upset, angry, motivated or energized after watching your video. If they are, then you've done a good job. If not, maybe you need to think about getting in some storyboarding practice.

Tip 3: Done is better than perfect

Ok, so this isn't exactly a new saying. But it is still true. Put your video together, edit it the best you can (and mine is definitely not perfect) and then share it with your audience. You will learn a lot from the experience, and you will see quickly if you have hit the mark. If not, you can always make another video, and use what you have learned to make your next one even better.

And if you want some great video tips, check out the learning center put together on Wistia. And have a go! You never know how good you can be till you try.

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The most asked question in the last 3 days

28 March 2015

Recently when some people have asked me about my Wellbands invention they have asked me what will you do with it?

I have found this a difficult question to answer, and thought – at first – that this was an unusual question to ask. I mean, wouldn’t you ask this question if you were actually holding an object in your hands? Imagine you had a basketball. If you were asked what you were going to do with it, you could answer easily - you could throw it, pass it, bounce it or shoot hoops with it.

Being asked this question from so many people has made me realise that even though I think that Wellbands is still at concept stage - to these people - Wellbands already exists. For each of them, Wellbands is real – a tangible product that I have made. And when I reflect on it, I have realised that it is true.

Wellbands does exist, but only because doing all of this work, sharing the idea, and getting support from people all over the world (New Zealand, America, UK, Australia and even the Philippines!) has made Wellbands leap off the page and take hold of hearts and minds.

And being found on Google has made Wellbands real too. Yes, you can Google “Wellbands” and you will see results such as the press release on Scoop, the Idealog article and even my website. It is hard to know if all of this activity will translate into Crowdfunding success, and maybe that doesn't matter.

The early signs are encouraging though – and from the early support I have gained, I feel truly rewarded for the hard work I have been putting in.

I think that the signals are there. People are ready to challenge the status quo and rethink how healthcare is delivered in hospitals. I know I am ready – are you?

I am trying to prove that I can be the difference, and that Wellbands is the kind of solution we need to be talking about. So, what am I going to do with it? I am going to use Wellbands to help change healthcare forever.

What are you going to do? Well, I hope you will join me.

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Why this 15-year-old boy wants to change healthcare forever

25 March 2015

Hospitals. It’s pretty rare that you want to go to hospital, but eventually we all end up there either as a patient, a support person, or a friend. Trying to find your way around a hospital is an art. They can be big — built over multiple levels and buildings — a real rabbit warren.

We all know that patients are moved regularly for treatment, so you can hardly rely on your own instincts to find your way. You also don’t want to interrupt the staff who are busy saving lives, but if you do, knowing the right questions to ask can be tough.

Every day people get lost in hospital, so chances are that you have too.I know when I get lost I feel uncomfortable, out-of-sorts and a bit self-conscious. Hospital visits are stressful enough without this problem. A ground-up redesign of something we are all familiar with — hospital wristbands — can solve the problem of connecting with our loved ones in hospital. And that is why I call them Wellbands. I believe we can solve this, and other problems too.

I would like to improve the experience for patients, and change healthcare forever.

Because I am only 15, I look for solutions based in technology and for things that make a difference to the individual, not just for staff. I am sure it helps that I enjoy science too. I am passionate about this project because I have experienced this problem myself.

You see, back in 2010 my Dad went in to have some surgery; he’s fine now, and we’re grateful to the hospital staff that took care of him. My family haven’t needed to go the hospital very often, so like most people we didn't really know what to look for or where to go. There are signs — and we followed them, but they weren't much help. I was panicking, Mum was getting stressed and one of my younger brothers started crying. After a long time we managed to find Dad. Turns out the signs were correct, but no one could tell us that he had moved wards.

Back at home, I was thinking about what had happened. For a reason I can’t even recall now, I was holding Dad’s hospital wristband. And that’s when it struck me — what if you could use clever technology in a wristband to find patients? Well, maybe you can.

Fast forward four years of work, along with the usual distractions for my age — school, sports and my part-time job; and I am ready to share with the world how rethinking hospital wristbands can provide better healthcare in hospitals.We have a reputation in New Zealand for thinking differently — whether it is Xero, our world class accounting software, or Vend, the amazing point-of-sale software that is so much better than the average cash register. And we know a thing or two about technology in our part of the world.

I believe that I have worked out a really good solution.

Wellbands are an identification band worn on the patient’s wrist that can let support people know where they are.From the moment friends and family pull into the carpark they can map their journey to their loved ones.My solution isn't about designing a hospital system that provides staff with the means to reliably find a patient; this is about friends and family being able to get to a patient quickly to provide support during their patient’s time in hospital.

I believe that patients would get better quality care if we used a solution like this. Why am I so confident? Well, we could save the average hospital $1.1 million worth of staff time.The valuable time healthcare professionals use directing people around hospital could be used to deliver healthcare to patients - potentially saving more lives.

And we need to do this now, because I have already waited a long time for someone else to sort it, and they haven’t. So I figure it is down to me, and anyone else who wants to join me.

Smarter use of technology can solve many things, but that is only one part of it. There are the low-tech things we need to fix too, and I can’t lose sight of that. I have been told so many times that the wristband produced by one of the multinational corporations isn't very well designed, and often breaks before it is even put on. And little kids who don’t like their wristband — particularly when it doesn't fit properly — try to bite it off.

Wellbands will be robust enough to last, and be customisable to make a young patient feel more comfortable. Wellbands can also enable personal security of valuables, acting as a specialized key, so that only the patient can unlock their bedside cabinet.

Of course, there is also the actual reason hospital wristbands were invented; to provide effective identification of the patient — verifying that the right person is receiving the right treatment. Although, sometimes this doesn't work so well either.An estimated 5% of people are given the wrong treatment, resulting in serious harm or death of about 0.8% of patients.

Yes, that doesn't sound like a lot statistically speaking, but this is lives we are talking about.

I am dreaming big, looking at ways to solve all of these problems through careful redesign of hospital wristbands, backed by robust, secure technology. The great thing is we can use technology to understand things like never before, and to influence positive behavior. The excellent TED talk from Ben Wellington shows that technology can change how we think about things.

The really exciting part for me is that the technology to solve these problems is available now, and is far better than it was even five years ago.

So what makes me different to anyone else who is trying to do the same thing?

Well, it is because I am thinking about how we can design healthcare to keep patients, their friends, and family at the centre. This isn't to say I’m not thinking about the staff; I’m just saying this invention is not only for staff. If we can include everyone who has a reason to visit a hospital, along with those who work there, we can make a better solution. That is what separates me from the rest of the world.

This has been a journey of four years of hard work, and in a way, I have only just started.

If you would like to join me in my Wellbands project, then please join in the conversation on Loomio, because I want people like you to have a real say about how Wellbands works. If you would like to support me with a donation, then please check out my crowdfunding page on gofundme. Please share the word, and help me change healthcare forever.

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