Curatio is on a Mission to End Isolation and Loneliness for Patients

Vancouver, Canada, February 01, 2019 --(PR.com)-- A new article released today highlights a new way to reduce isolation and loneliness for patients. The article outlines a unique approach in combining social networking with daily disease management, delivered by Curatio, a digital health company.

In a recent systematic review in the Journal of Public Health, researchers examined the effects of loneliness and social isolation on health. What they discovered was a strong link between social isolation, loneliness, and increased all-cause mortality - and that the magnitude of this link exceeds that of many leading health indicators (Leigh-Hunt, 2017; Peate, 2018). In several of the studies examined in the review, the positive effect of stronger social relationships led to a 50% increased likelihood of survival, and those with the highest levels of social isolation had two to three times the risk of illness (Leigh-Hunt, 2017). Without the appropriate support and interventions, this loneliness can develop into a chronic issue, leading to poor health and an increased burden on health services (Peate, 2018).

With the rise of chronic disease worldwide, an aging demographic and unsustainable healthcare spending, there is an urgent need to find new ways to empower patients towards self-management and wellbeing, including the reduction of isolation.

This need is what drove entrepreneur Lynda Brown-Ganzert to found Curatio. Having been a patient herself, she understands first-hand the difficulties of coping with a new health challenge without social support from fellow patients.

“When I went through a complicated pregnancy, I became a patient for the first time in my adult life. It was an isolating, lonely experience and difficult to navigate. As I spoke with others, I found that this experience was common in healthcare,” Brown-Ganzert says. “There was a serious need in our healthcare system for peer-based patient support as a way to improve patient education, self-management and connection.”

Her company, Curatio, is the world’s first social health prescription. By combining the power of social networking with daily disease management tools, Curatio provides patients with the support and engagement they need from their peers. Their mission, “No patient alone,” is a simple but compelling reminder of the power of social to help patients achieve their best health outcomes.

In published clinical results, the Curatio team has shown that private, personalized peer groups created around health conditions and goals can not only meaningfully improve outcomes, but also provide a more valuable way to address patient acquisition and retention.

In one scenario, the Curatio team brought a group of women who suffered from heart disease together on the platform. They spent 45 minutes a day on the platform with their peers (affectionately referred to on the app as “buddies”), participating in virtual visits up to 10 times a day. At the conclusion of the study, researchers found statistically significant improvements in their health outcomes, adherence, and self-management.

Curatio is currently targeting a $5.9 billion market comprised of four billion people living with chronic disease challenges, in need of scalable, cost-effective self-management solutions. They’re also firmly focussed on their mission: No Patient Alone.

As a next generation patient support tool, Curatio fosters patient support using its proprietary matchmaking algorithm. Patients are connected directly with another person who shares their health condition, providing them with instant social support right from their mobile device. The new inclusion of Artificial Intelligence into the Curatio platform is also cementing its position as a leader in health technology, and in turn delivers benefits to the patients in the form of an in-app “Health Buddy” that can guide them through daily disease management.

Applying her experience in the gaming industry at Entertainment Arts (EA), Brown-Ganzert is taking a unique, social approach to what has been described as one of the most serious problems in healthcare.

“To replicate the success from the gaming world in healthcare would be extremely powerful. We’re very interested in that at Curatio, especially related to our AI functionality. But gamification is incredibly complex. I find that the ‘gamification of health’ dialogue comes from a very external perspective,” Brown-Ganzert says. “How do we get the patient to do more of what we want them to do, as opposed to what does a patient need or want to do, and how do we empower and support them. Those are two very different approaches.”

Curatio is quickly growing to establish itself as the top choice of healthcare providers worldwide. It currently has users in over 80 countries to date relying on its social support and health tracking tools.

Curatio has MSAs in place with global pharmaceutical companies, and is now licensing their unique social platform to payers, providers, pharmaceutical and research organizations. The platform is free to download for patients, and is available in both iOS and Android.

Curatio is now accepting appointments from providers interested in licensing their solution. Book a demo with Curatio for more information and to and see how Curatio can help your patients live happier, healthier lives.