To improve the lives of more patients, especially those in underserved communities, it’s not new medicines or more devices that are needed – it’s innovative and expanded approaches to care. This was the resounding theme from the “Innovation for a Healthy, Sustainable Future” event held this summer at the Philips Innovation Hub in Cambridge. This forum brought together doctors, healthcare leaders, and officials to explore how to achieve more equitable and sustainable patient-centered care.

Innovative approaches to patient-centered, equitable maternal health care and beyond

Inequities in maternal care are prevalent globally, and especially so in the US. According to the National Institute of Health Care Management (NIHCM), the US has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries and is the only country where maternal mortality is increasing. In particular, Black and brown women in the US are three times more likely than white women to die in childbirth or shortly thereafter. 

“We have to make sure patients receive the exact same care no matter their race, ethnicity, age, or disability,” says Dr. Nawal Nour, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  One way to achieve this is to emphasize data-driven protocols for evaluating pregnant women based on their blood pressure or blood glucose readings to reduce the effect of possible provider racism and bias.

This is where technology comes in to expand access to care to historically underserved communities — apps, telehealth, and at-home access to common devices like blood pressure cuffs and continuous glucose monitors can offer a robust stream of data over time for those at risk for preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, for example. This can allow care teams to intervene before major health complications occur.

Utilizing innovative technologies is also key to reaching more patients where they are, particularly those lacking access to care within their communities. Telehealth, digital applications, remote monitoring and mobile clinics are all channels that can bring maternal health care beyond the hospital walls. For example, portable ultrasound machines like the Philips Lumify offer real-time imaging capabilities and the ability to provide on-the-spot diagnoses and interventions to reach more patients outside of the traditional care setting.

“It’s really hard to have just physicians provide equitable care,” says Dr. Erika Werner, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts Medical Center. “The healthcare system in general has to diversify. We need to rethink [care] to meet patients where they are.”

“It’s really hard to have just physicians provide equitable care. The healthcare system in general has to diversify. We need to rethink [care] to meet patients where they are.”

– Dr. Erika Werner, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts Medical Center

For patients whose native language is not English, there should be digital tablets in every hospital room to provide immediate interpreter services to aid two-way communication and patient understanding, Nour says, because “one of the most important things is to listen and hear what our patients need.”

In an ideal world, pregnant and postpartum patients will feel that they can get care “where they want, when they want, and from whom they want,” and leave the birthing experience feeling that they and their providers worked as a team, Werner says. 

Beyond technology, industry leaders agree community engagement is pivotal to achieving health equity. Developing community involvement can take many shapes – improving patient education, creating more local access points to care and involving patients in determining how their data may be collected are just a few examples.

Integrating the circular economy and environmental stability into health care 

To protect the global population’s health and well-being, there must be environmental health to support these communities and vice versa. Despite this interdependence, health care accounts for 8.5 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions, according to Health Care Without Harm.

The US spends more than many industrialized countries on health care but has worse outcomes; “we’re spending it wrong,” according to one attendee.

The US spends more than many industrialized countries on health care but has worse outcomes; “we’re spending it wrong,” according to one attendee.

Attendees at the Philips event echoed that sustainability in health care goes beyond thinking about greener hospital buildings and waste reduction. Access to clean air, clean water, and safe homes in an era of environmental dangers and global warming are fundamental to sustainable health care. 

Decarbonizing the healthcare sector will help provide communities consistent access to these essentials. Circularity, or the sustainable use of resources, is an important component to achieve this. By collaborating closely with vendors and partners across the value chain, the healthcare industry can make strides to resolve environmental challenges and reduce the industry’s collective carbon footprint. 

“Sustainability is about more than producing solutions that cause less impact on our environment,” says Jeff DiLullo, executive vice president and chief market leader of Philips North America. “It’s also about extending the life of our innovations to reach new markets, creating access to care in underserved communities, and leveraging recycled components to minimize landfill waste, each creating value in a sustainable way for our society.”

“Sustainability is about more than producing solutions that cause less impact on our environment. It’s also about extending the life of our innovations to reach new markets, creating access to care in underserved communities, and leveraging recycled components to minimize landfill waste, each creating value in a sustainable way for our society.”

-Jeff DiLullo, executive vice president and chief market leader of Philips North America

The future is promising in this regard. According to new research, by 2026, 47 percent of US healthcare leaders will prioritize environmental sustainability – a massive jump from 2021, when only one percent of leaders considered it a priority.

Beyond circularity, healthcare leaders at the event also discussed the importance of bringing more resources to the lowest income and sickest communities to keep people out of the hospital in the first place. This might involve funding more community health centers, better nutrition programs, and job programs in more communities. Once again, reinforcing the need for stronger community engagement.

Shaping the future of patient care 

The expertise shared by healthcare leaders at the event highlighted the value of cross-industry collaboration to promote both health equity and sustainability. Together, they collectively discussed how they are actively working to overcome systemic barriers and inequities across the health continuum by leveraging the best of today’s technology and the expertise of healthcare providers to engage local communities. 

For more on how healthcare professionals are shaping a more equitable and sustainable future of care, explore insights in the 2023 Philips Future Health Index US report.

Hear how healthcare leaders are working to combat inequities in health care and ultimately improve the lives of more people, in more places around the country: