'Emotional networking' seeks to improve health through virtual contact

Even as they have drawn more people closer together, technologies like email, texting and social networking have in many ways depersonalized communication. A new wave of software known as emotional networking technology seeks to harness the power of electronic communication without losing the human element of face-to-face contact.

"Communication often has practical considerations--I have a reason and need to talk to you, so I'll pick up the phone or email you," Paul To, CEO and founder of Emota.net, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based technology company, tells Advance for Health Information Executives. "But the kind of communications that carry more emotional values are often more subtle and peripheral in nature. In the past, if you were thinking of someone, you might walk over to their house and drop a basket of flowers on their doorstep. That kind of subtle gesture helped people feel emotionally connected," To explains.

Emota.net is part of a new generation of companies building technology on the principle that emotional connections can have a positive impact on physical health, particularly among the elderly. Such technology could underpin efforts to create patient-centered medical homes and humanize the experience of long-term care. One example is a tree changing color on a computer screen to signify to an elderly person that a family member has sat down near a connected device or another tree waving in the wind as a reminder to call the doctor back.

"We know there is direct correlation between loneliness and healthcare cost," To adds. "Older adults with loneliness-related issues visit [the] doctor and emergency room more often, use more medications, incur higher outpatient charges and stay in [the] hospital longer."

To learn more about this technology:
- read this Advance for Health Information Executives feature

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