PAUL MILLER | How the medical industry is innovating to give life-saving messages

In 2019 an estimated 262-million people were affected by asthma and 461,000 deaths were caused globally by the silent but common chronic illness.

The most recent official statistics on asthma prevalence and mortality available for SA place the country 25th worldwide for asthma prevalence as of 2018. Added to this, SA has the fifth highest asthma mortality rate in the world, with an estimated 18.5 deaths per 100,000 asthma cases. Children are more commonly affected by the illness than any other chronic illness in the country.

With the global pandemic being the medical industry’s main focus over the past two years, not to mention the prevalence of other health crises, awareness and education drives around asthma, especially locally, have stalled. However, given the respiratory impact of Covid-19 there is a need to ensure people do not underestimate the dangers of asthma, leaving them exposed to the risk of preventable attacks and death.

“Globally, over the last six decades, Cipla has helped to increase access to life-saving drugs across the care continuum and provided a wide range of drug-device combinations to improve the lung health of millions of people worldwide,” says Paul Miller, CEO of the South African arm of global pharmaceutical company Cipla.

To further these efforts the medical industry is increasingly looking to digital innovation to ensure important, life-saving health messaging reaches people in engaging and effective ways. Gamification is one way the health industry is tackling serious health issues in a fun way to ensure retention of key messages.

Games have the potential to drive behavioural change, which in the case of asthma and the importance of adherence, is especially crucial. Cipla’s Bronkiboosters campaign enlists children in “the battle for air” and educates them about the importance of using their inhalers correctly in a way that’s all fun and games. The Bronkiboosters game also serves to educate patients and parents that people with asthma can lead a normal, active life.

The gamification trend is not new, but remains one of the most effective ways to increase health literacy to improve patient outcomes. This is especially true given our reliance on digital technology and the ubiquity of smart devices among SA’s youth.

The medical industry has also realised that fear tactics are not as effective in furthering health literacy as more positive, fun approaches tend to be. Digital platforms and games, for this reason, often focus on wellness, not illness, eliminating the “doom and gloom” that typically accompanies health messaging.

Digital innovations are driving a shift in health literacy, with gamification, among other methods, ensuring more people are aware, informed, engaged and empowered to better manage asthma. At this rate, and with a continued drive to ensure wider adoption, technology can change the face of health literacy and outcomes for the better.

To learn more about asthma, visit www.bronkiboosters.com. 

Paul Miller is CEO of Cipla South Africa.

r 2021.