Praise for "precision health", not just precision medicine

Lloyd Minor, Dean of Stanford University's Faculty of Medicine, wants to hear a bit less about precision medicine and a little more about "precision health".

Precision medicine, of course, is the solution for cases of serious illness. Diagnosed with cancer? Precision medicine suggests a treatment adapted to your disease and your genetic makeup.

Precision health, on the other hand, is the flip side of the coin. "To predict, prevent and heal accurately," Minor said Wednesday at The wealth Brainstorm Health Conference in San Diego.

The need for ultra-specific precision medicine treatments is reduced with the growth of precision health, argues the university doctor. Think about mental illness – a health of precision could make the difference, he said.

"Our knowledge of the science behind mental illness is still in its infancy," Minor said. "But the pace of scientific progress is encouraging. We go beyond thinking of depression as a single disease. "

Depression may require subtypes similar to those of cancer. And it is clear that mental illnesses vary considerably. Thus, a more holistic approach would allow health professionals to "look beyond or in addition to the symptoms of the most effective treatment," Minor said.

Anticipating and preventing mental illness "is an area in which we believe we are making progress," he added. Fortunately, employers are already starting to focus more on the mental health and well-being of employees to "make mental health and well-being a hallmark of the workplace."

But there is still much to be done, especially at your local hospital. "More than half of the doctors who practice medicine in the United States are exhausted," Minor said. "It's just unacceptable."

Electronic medical records are partly to blame, he said. Physicians spend as much or more time in front of EHRs than patients. "I do not think any of us got into medicine because we wanted to be experts at running an EHR," he said.

Medical care and genetics account for about a quarter of the total inputs needed for a person's health, Minor said. Social, behavioral and environmental determinants dictate the rest. This is why the world needs more precision in health and maybe a little more rest.

Says Minor: "The culture of well-being within our organizations is of paramount importance."

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