The prevention clinic

In Sweden, and in much of the world, we have increasing costs for care and care, and despite the fact that many believe that there are great gains for the individual and society with preventive health efforts, only a fraction of our health care budget is spent on that type of health interventions.

Therefore, I was very curious about how the team behind Preventionsmottagningen views the future role of health care within preventive health. The team has worked in sprints and despite the fact that it is early in the project at this stage, they have succeeded in working out a concept for the future prototype, which they are testing on the conference participants.

The experience

My future self has received a summons to the Prevention reception, and once there I leave, among other things, my phone or other smart devices for transferring data that I have registered connected to my health to the reception. I also get to brush the inside of my mouth, which feels familiar after living through a pandemic. The reception collects and analyzes the data I provided in real time. Within a few minutes I get to speak with the Oracle, which is some form of artificial intelligence that informs me in a mysterious voice that in the future I will suffer loneliness. The oracle also writes prescriptions for Biofili, which are capsules with good gut bacteria that reduce my risk of developing ill health including loneliness. I choose to take the capsule, despite the fact that there are some reported side effects with the medication, such as impaired personal finances as a result of overconsumption of outdoor equipment. I am willing to take that for increased health and well-being.

The visit raises many questions. Who are the people behind the Prevention Reception and who get access to the enormous amount of information about me and my future health? Does it matter if it is a state actor or a for-profit company that runs the reception? Can information be used for less well-intentioned purposes? Do I receive information about future medical conditions for which there is no preventive treatment? Will data about my health be used by other actors to develop new preventive treatments?

I have already decided that I will go to Södersjukhuset to visit the final prototype of the future. It has made me ask questions that I had not previously spent much time on, and I have started to think in completely new ways.