Tailored for You: The Benefits of Personalized Health Plans

Traditionally, we have approached health and wellness with a one-size-fits-all type approach. We use the same clinical guidelines and techniques for all patients, without considering their individual medical history, personal preferences, and unique situation. Though we are oftentimes successful with this approach, there is certainly room for improvement.

In more recent years, with the development of technology and the integration of digital health, the healthcare industry has shifted closer and closer towards personalized medicine. Personalized health plans allow us to tailor treatment plans to fit a patient’s unique circumstances and needs, considering details down to the patient’s individual DNA. As a result, personal health plans have the potential to yield better patient care and improved outcomes. Let’s discuss how.

What are personalized health plans?

Personalized health plans are exactly what they sound like – unique treatment protocols that are tailored towards the individual patient. This differs from traditional medicine which typically relies solely on generalized guidelines.

Personalized health plans consider factors like:

• Genetics. Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, researchers have gained a greater understanding of how we are both genetically similar and different. Genetic screening is a key innovation that has allowed us to understand how certain people will respond to therapy, what conditions certain individuals are predisposed to, and much more. Thus, getting genetic screenings can provide key insights into what treatment plans might be the most effective for you (1).
• Lifestyle. We all lead wildly different lives, and thus, our lifestyle habits can vary. Personalized health plans consider your current lifestyle choices and how you can change your diet, exercise, stress levels, and daily habits to reach your health goals.
• Medical history. Personalized medicine also considers your specific medical history, including previous illnesses, treatments, surgeries, and family history. All of these factors can impact your treatment and health outcomes.
• Preferences. In personalized health plans, providers will respect and consider your personal and cultural values.

Taking all these concepts into consideration, healthcare providers can recommend preventative measures and treatments that can maximize the chances of treatment success based on the individual.

The science behind personalization

A large reason for the shift towards personal health plans involves recent advancements in technology, big data, genomics, and artificial intelligence (AI) over the last several decades. These tools can provide key insights into our health and wellness that are evidence-based and backed by data and research.

For example, genomics plays a big role in personalized medicine. Scientists, researchers, and clinicians can analyze DNA and identify genetic markers for various diseases. Doing so enables early detection of disease and targeted treatments, which can lead to better outcomes. For example, genetic testing for breast cancer can identify BRCA genes, which can guide screening, monitoring, and treatment for breast and ovarian cancer.

Additionally, AI and machine learning have taken all industries by storm, including the healthcare field. These advancements analyze enormous amounts of patient data, and algorithms identify patterns to predict outcomes and recommend personalized treatment plans. These insights are oftentimes beyond what traditional approaches consider or what humans are capable of evaluating themselves.

Finally, the digitization of medicine has also yielded wearable technology. Certain devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers collect real-time data on key health parameters like heart rate, sleep patterns, and activity levels. Providers can use this information to adapt the health plans of their patients based on the patient’s changing needs and body.

The benefits of personal health plans

There are so many benefits to personalized medicine. Here are the major advantages:

1. Better preventative care. One of the best ways to optimize your health is to implement preventative care, and personalized health plans prioritize prevention. Preventative care helps you to get an early diagnosis or avoid disease altogether, which would improve outcomes. For example, if you have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, your provider may implement lifestyle changes into your plan like diet advice, exercise regimens, and blood sugar monitoring to prevent diabetes.
2. Improved treatment outcomes. Because we are using targeted interventions and treatments with personal health plans, the outcomes are typically better than a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, pharmacogenomics, which involves evaluating a patient’s genetics, can help us to predict how a patient will respond to a certain medication. This can eliminate the traditional and time-consuming trial-and-error treatment process, helping to select targeted medications that work the first time.
3. Lower healthcare costs. Personalized health plans can actually lower the costs associated with healthcare. Preventative care and targeted treatments minimize unnecessary tests, office visits, hospitalizations, and ineffective therapy, thus lowering the financial burden on the patient and healthcare system.
4. Empowered patients. Personalized health plans tend to be more effective than traditional approaches, thus enabling patients’ trust in the healthcare system and their providers. Patients may also be more likely to take an active role in their care knowing that their treatments are individualized and effective.
5. Better management of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension require continuous management throughout someone’s life. Personal health plans allow us to adapt our treatments to the everchanging needs of patients through their lives and different stages of disease.

Challenges of personal health plans

Although there are many benefits to personal health plans, there are also a number of things to take into consideration. For example:

• Cost and accessibility. Although personalized medicine has the potential to decrease long-term health costs, the upfront investment may be costly. Genetic testing and advanced technologies in particular may limit accessibility to those that are lower income or those who live in remote locations.
• Data privacy. In order to get health insights from technology and AI, these tools must draw on sensitive patient information. Thus, healthcare providers and the developers of these applications should consider the risk of data breaches and misuse.
• Implementation complexities. As with any new technology or practice, there is oftentimes hesitation from providers to integrate it into their practice. Thus, training may be necessary, and implementation may be slow.
• Ethical issues. It’s possible that personalization of health plans could inadvertently lead to health disparities or discrimination. For example, AI is only as good as the data it is trained on. If we deduce health insights and treatment plans from a dataset that is not diverse, this might introduce bias into “personal” health plans.

How patients can play a role in their personalized health plan

As a patient, how can you support your provider in developing your personalized health plan? The first step will be open communication. You’ll want to share detailed information about your lifestyle, preferences, concerns, and medical history with your provider. Doing so will give your provider the full picture, allowing them to take key aspects of your health into consideration when determining your plan of care.

For the best results, adherence will be paramount. Although it may seem obvious, you need to follow your providers recommendations for the best results. If you skip out on taking your medication or slack on your diet and exercise plan, you won’t see the best results from your personal plan. Additionally, utilizing wearable devices and health apps can support you in your health journey and give key insights to your clinician on your progress.

Future outlook on personalized health plans

Believe it or not, we’re only experiencing the beginning of personalized medicine. With future advancements in technology and AI, we’ll see further developments in tailored medicine. For example, the following may be on the horizon:

• Integration of genomics and AI. AI can further refine our understanding of the human genome, allowing us to make more accurate predictions and tailored treatment plans.
• Expansion of wearables. We may see more advancements in our smartwatches or completely novel wearables that can provide even more granular data and health metrics.
• Telemedicine and remote monitori COVID-19 gave way to more widespread use of telemedicine and digital health platforms. We’ll likely see this more and more as technology advances.
• Affordable genomic testing. As genetic testing becomes more streamlined, cost may go down and more individuals will have access to genetic insights.

Conclusion

Traditional medicine utilizes overly generalized guidelines and treatment protocols in patient care. As science and medicine have evolved, however, we’ve gained a greater understanding into how nuanced, individual traits may impact health. Thus, we have begun seeing a shift towards personal health plans, where providers consider a patient’s unique needs, preferences, and history when developing their plan of care.

How do we do this? Thankfully, advancements in AI, genomics, and technology have elucidated key health insights. Using these tools, we may be able to predict how a patient will respond to a certain therapy or detect signs and symptoms of early disease, leading to better patient outcomes. Thus, we may see more and more of personal health plans in the future of healthcare.

References

1. https://www.aamc.org/news/personalized-medicine-coming-who-will-have-access-it

Author

David J. Bauder, PA-C David Bauder, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant and the assistant medical director at Weight Loss and Vitality in Manassas and Alexandria, Virginia, Washington, DC; and Gaithersburg, MD. He enjoys helping patients optimize their physical and mental health to improve their overall well-being. He earned his physician assistant degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Afterward, he gained admission into the reputable graduate program for physician assistant studies at the University of Nebraska Health Science Center in Omaha. David has over 26 years of experience working as a physician assistant. He’s practiced in podiatry, family medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, urgent care, and functional medicine.