Anne WrightBodyTrack ProjectCarnegie Mellon

UniversityPittsburgh, PA

Implementing Self-Tracking in the

WildPaul Abramson, M.D.

My Doctor Medical GroupUCSF Clinical Faculty

San Francisco, CA

@paulabramsonMD@annerwright

?

Backstory

Medicine 2.0 Self Tracking Panel

( + ) x 20

= ?

How can we harness this opportunity?

Quant Friendly Doctor: Dr. Paul Abramson

Quant Coach: Anne Wright

Self-Trackers: Allan, Anna, Bari, Dale, Eric, Greg, Kathleen, Paul, Marcy, and Quinn

Self Tracking Project

Want to explore how to:be more active

Motivations to self track

debug interactions with sleep partner

spend less time stressed

Want to understand impact of:exercise/diet on sleep

experience more equanimity

sleep quality on energy/alertness

improve glycemic control

food “Paleoness” on hunger/energy/mood

unknown factors sleep paralysis, gut pain, headaches, etc.

better engage with their work

•Current medical paradigm does not address certain issues well

•Top-down standardized advice about lifestyle change is not always the best tool for the job

•Finding effective strategies may be highly specific to the individual

•Engaging in an exploratory/investigative process can be empowering

Why self tracking?

Anna wants to be more active

Example:

BodyMedia data shows that Anna is more active -- sometimes

Anna was more active (and happy!)when she was taking care of Zoe

Self tracking insight

Anna needs a puppy!

Goal is sustainable activity increase

Puppy would likely be sustainable

Final conference prep – not so much…

Sustainability

Towards a new modelSelf

tracking Ecosystem

Works with self tracker to:

Quant Coach

• Refine their understanding of what they want to work on

• Learn how to apply and configure available tools and techniques

• Develop more precise and personally resonant terminology

• Learn to use data for feedback to reflect on how they’re doing whenHelps optimize time spent with Quant Friendly

Doctor

Quant Friendly Doctor

•Reality check – safety, sanity, and efficacy of plan

•Designing personal experiments

•Obtaining and interpreting data needing a doctor’s order

•Guiding self-tracking project to align with health goals

Providing medical support and context for self-tracking

Works with self tracker collaboratively:

•A new culture of “N of 1” experiments•A collaborative aesthetic•Methods to deploy technology to patients•Data aggregation tools (BodyTrack)•Visualization tools integrated into practice•Ways to help coach and doctor be actively

engaged

Tools for Quant-Medicine

most of the pieces exist, but need integration

Diffuse/environmentally triggered conditions

Greg

Anne

Thomas

Bari

Marcy at Burning Man

Drive to Playa

Packing

Drive Home

Set up camp

Sleep quality transformation

Marcy’s typical sleep pattern:

Night after ritual at Temple of Transition:

Quinn’s writing quest• “How can I better engage with my writing?”• “What factors relate to my ability to engage?”

Candidates:• Sleep quantity/quality• “Role focus” vs. intrusive

thoughts• Activity levels: low activity as

success condition?

“Return from Distraction”High quality writing time

Take Home LessonsData is not the goal

It is a tool to help us to improve the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and write a better user’s manual

Take Home Lessons

Take Home Lessons

Take Home LessonsWe expect people to be able to undertake very complex endeavors

But we don’t expect them to do it in isolation: it’s socially and culturally supported; self tracking should be too

Anne WrightBodyTrack ProjectCarnegie Mellon

UniversityPittsburgh, PA

Paul Abramson, M.D.

My Doctor Medical GroupUCSF Clinical Faculty

San Francisco, CA

@paulabramsonMDoffice@mydoctorSF.c

omwww.quantdoctor.co

m

@annerwrightarwright@cmu.eduwww.bodytrack.org