Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

170 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om S mart cities and communities are often dis- cussed in terms of data, technology and connections. However, that is only part of the equation, as people need to be the focus of any ‘smart city’ initiative if it’s going to be suc- cessful. Focusing on people doesn’t mean they just get access to better government services, more responsive businesses and better commu- nications. Bringing the human element to smart cities includes facilitating a healthier popula- tion, whether offering more green spaces, better access to healthy food or improved medical and wellness services. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), population health is: “...an interdisciplinary, customisable approach that allows [government] health departments to connect practice to policy for change to happen locally. This approach utilises non-traditional partnerships among different sectors of the community – public health, industry, academia, healthcare, local government entities, etc. – to achieve positive health outcomes. Population health brings significant health concerns into focus and addresses ways that resources can be allocated to overcome the problems that drive poor health conditions in the population.” With that context, it’s clear that population health is another facet of smart cities and com- munities. In my role at Microsoft, where I sup- port healthcare startups globally, I work with those that are on the front lines using technol- ogy to improve population health. Patient engagement and meaningful com- munications are key to effective population health. For example, healthcare technology provider Octopus.Health provides a compre- hensive artificial intelligence-based platform for patient engagement and management, ena- bling healthcare providers to maximise adher- ence and clinical outcomes while reducing healthcare provider workload. It analyses thou- sands of patient parameters and personalises treatment and prevention plans, and by using advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms, the Octopus.Health solution is able to identify changes in patient behaviours and trends, and then automatically adjust modes of engagement to improve patient outcomes. Octopus.Health isn’t the only organisation that has realised the value of communication is delivering better healthcare services. Well- Beat believes that productive communica- tion is often a precursor to successful patient engagement. Well-Beat offers a modular, dynamic, patient engagement software-as-a- service (SaaS) solution that creates tailored interactions to empower healthcare profes- sionals and their patients, providing enhanced care, relationship and treatment outcomes. Using ML models and behavioural science Smart cities include smart healthcare Healthcare is often separated from urban infrastructure but with an increasing number of innovative start-ups entering the market, their products could be key in delivering the services that citizens want and need S A L LY F RANK : M I C ROSOF T V I EWPO I NT “Population health is another facet of smart cities and communities”