Why D&I is at the forefront of the Digital Health industry

The digital health space is growing rapidly, and was worth USD 141.8 billion in 2020 and is estimated to grow at over 17.4% between 2021 and 2027 (GMI Insights). 

But, there is a big problem within digital health, and that’s the lack of diversity. From period trackers failing because they’re designed by men, to millions of black people affected by racial bias in healthcare algorithms, there are plenty of articles and studies supporting that the lack of diversity in digital health is causing harm to patients and consumers alike.  

Scientific American produced a compelling piece referencing a study conducted by the University of Michigan, where researchers found that “pulse oximeters—which use light transmitted through skin and tissue to measure the oxygen in a person's blood—are three times more likely to miss low oxygen levels in Black patients than in white ones.” This is one of many examples where digital products, instruments, or other technology have failed due to them only being designed for one specific demographic in mind.  

This is why internal diversity is so important - to ensure that digital health companies are creating products and technologies that are inclusive, and ultimately safe for all.

Rock Health created a compelling report at the end of 2020 which was an annual review on diversity within Digital Health. They partnered with Ivor Horn, who is the current Director for Health Equity & Product Inclusion at Google, and has previously held senior roles within Life Sciences and now works with organizations on an advisory basis as well as being an angel investor.

Ivor raised a number of interesting points in her article that she wrote for Stat News, which documented her partnership with Rock Health as well as her experiences in the Digital Health industry. 

She highlighted that she was called a “unicorn” by an investor in the industry, early on in her career. 

“The first time she called me that, I responded with a nervous laugh and downplayed her comment. But that didn’t stop her. She went on to explain that she called me a unicorn because I’m a physician, I’ve had a successful academic career, and I’ve been in the C-suite of a venture-backed digital health company that scaled and recently had an IPO. She didn’t even add the obvious: I am also a Black woman.”

Ivor’s lived experience is the same for many individuals from minority groups who have an extreme lack of representation within the digital health space. Although she doesn’t “bristle at the term unicorn [anymore]” its implications can be still, incredibly negative. 

The report from Rock Health assessed “leaders—managers and above—at US digital health startups from July 17 through September 6th, 2020. Survey respondents were asked about the characteristics of the company they work for, experiences they have had building and leading digital health startups, and their personal demographics—including, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status.”

Representation matters

Their results highlighted that Founders and Leaders alone in the US (678 assessed) within the digital health space were predominantly white (59%) with 8% black and 6% Hispanic. The most underrepresented group was Middle Eastern. 

When looking at this from a representation perspective, it’s important to acknowledge that to create true change, the onus needs to be put on hiring more individuals from minority groups at a senior level to impact decision-making within digital health. Even with organizations focussing on entry-level talent pools to be more diverse, it will often take years before these individuals are in a position to influence digital health. 

Too often, we look at Diversity and Inclusion as something isolated from a hiring perspective, when in reality the representation at senior level trickles down into the infrastructure, working practices, and the attitude of an organization. 

Patient outcomes and diversity in studies

There are clear similarities between diversity within organizations within digital health and diversity in health research. 

Forbes published a compelling piece discussing this, stating “Lack of diversity has been a longstanding shortcoming in health research. That lack has not only failed underrepresented groups in the past but also threatens the progress of medical science and the healthcare industry in the future.” 

Covid-19 also propelled these disparities into the spotlight, as “infection and death rates [were] higher for certain racial and socioeconomic groups. In one study, for example, non-Hispanic Black people made up 34% of deaths from Covid-19 even though they made up only 12% of the population.”

The byproduct of this is that the digital health space can actually pose danger and breed distrust if they fail to acknowledge the desperate need for synergy between internal diversity and patient outcomes. 

If a digital health organization doesn’t have clear representation from all areas of diversity, innovation will dwindle and inconsistent (and biased) results will continue to be produced. 

What are some actions that digital health organizations can take?

• Create a link between internal D&I and external D&I: Instead of isolating your D&I strategy to just internal efforts, for example just for patient recruitment, look at how you can create a clear link and improve diversity across both. To start, an internal D&I strategy will in turn enable you to impact external efforts.

• Work with external partners to help you: Harper & Gray supports diverse hiring strategies, so whether you choose to partner with us or someone else, it’s crucial to select a partner that you can trust and who is aligned with your goals. 

• Recognize that you need a balanced approach: Although a blended approach is an excellent way to improve internal diversity, don’t forget that there is a critical importance in a top-down approach, too. This will allow you to make the most significant change. 

• Measure your efforts: To avoid tokenism and box-ticking, create regular touchpoints where you can measure your efforts in the short, medium and long-term. 

If you would like to discuss DEI strategies for your organization, please click here.