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J Am Med Inform Assoc 16:171-178 doi:10.1197/jamia.M2859
  • Perspectives on Informatics

Healthy Living with Persuasive Technologies: Framework, Issues, and Challenges

Table 4

Challenges, Critical Issues, and Prediction/Implications for Persuasive Technologies

Challenges Critical Issues Predictions and Implications for Persuasive Technology Designers
Consideration of disparate stakeholders? How can persuasive technologies support the four primary stakeholders of PBCTs: patients and general population, system designers, health care network (physicians, nurses and medical professionals) and payers? It is important to note that two modes that will evolve:

  1. Self-care in which end-user interacts with automated persuasive technologies and

  2. Network-care in which end-users get feedback and help that involves health-care professionals.

Adoption of persuasive technologies? How to design solutions that can work on mobile platforms and have increased adoption rates? Keeping in mind that consumer product success depends on (1) the willingness to pay and (2) the technology must have very low threshold of indignation.32
Engagement of persuasive technologies and experiences? How can persuasive technologies engage its users? The user's attention span is fragile, easily lost if not stimulated. Designing engaging mobile experiences require three principles: (1) context must be relevant, (2) support guided engagement and navigation, and (3) provide differentiation as a critical feature.33
Ethics of persuasion and privacy?

  • How can persuasive technologies be grounded on ethical principles?

  • Persuaders have always stood on uneasy ethical grounds. Lack of privacy and big brother issues are critical.

 Persuasive technology creators must adhere to the golden rule: “Persuasive technology creators should never seek to persuade a person or persons of something they themselves would not consent to be persuaded to do.”34
Payment by insurance companies, HMOs/PPOs, and third party payers? How will the cost of persuasive technologies be covered? The most vexing question is who will pay for it? Understand that prevention is better than treatment. Therefore, it is in the interest of the “payers” to cover all or part of the cost as in the long run they will lower their overall health care cost.
Integration of persuasive technologies with personal health records? How can persuasive technologies integrate with personal health records? PHR systems capture health data entered by individuals and provide information related to the care of those individuals. PHR's are ideal candidates to include decision-support capabilities that can assist patients in managing their health condition. When adoption of PHR systems grows, we will see persuasion alerts and behavior change modules being embedded into them.

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