Scott Melville

According to a report (“The Evolution of Self-Care”) released last year by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) and IRI, 70% of Americans are prioritizing self-care practices to support their health and well-being several days a week or more. And thanks to advances in digital health technology, today’s health care consumers have the tools to access more of their health information than ever before. From glucose monitors to thermometers, and pulse oximeters to diagnostic test kits, at-home use of consumer medical devices and remote care, accelerated by the pandemic, has enabled people to manage their health outside of traditional health care settings. While the self-care industry overall has experienced rapid acceleration, these are key drivers of the consumer-facing change happening now in the U.S. health care system.

Although we are still in the early stages of this transformation, the integration of digital health into health care and self-care is here to stay. Smart watches, for example, allow consumers access to electrocardiograms (ECGs), blood-oxygen sensors and thermometers, among other things. As people become more comfortable and familiar with the range of capabilities, technology is going to become something that not only consumers rely on, but something providers will also rely on, for example, to stay connected with their patients or to monitor them remotely.

There is a tremendous opportunity for advancement in the over-the-counter devices category. For example, more than 30 million adult consumers suffer from hearing loss, yet only one in five seeks out a hearing device. This is due in part to the fact that hearing aids are only available by prescription and at prices and other costs that make them out of reach for many. Now, the Food and Drug Administration’s new proposed rule to allow nonprescription sales of hearing devices will be a game changer for consumers, many of whom will now have access to more affordable, innovative product options.

Digital health is also poised to help pave the way for more prescription-to-O-T-C switches for certain pharmaceutical ingredients (Rx-to-OTC switch). FDA issued a new proposed rule at the end of June that would allow drug companies to innovate and establish additional conditions for consumers to use nonprescription drug products. Current regulations for nonprescription drug labeling limit the amount of information that can be easily provided to consumers to adequately self-select and properly use a product on their own. This is where digital technology comes in: The new proposed rule would allow the consumers to self-select a nonprescription drug product through some “additional condition” that would assure FDA and consumers of appropriate selection and proper use (such as a test completed on a smartphone app or another ­innovation).

Regulatory changes like these have the potential to increase access to safe, effective and affordable treatments and drive down health care costs for individuals and systems. Additionally, they will encourage consumer self-care by increasing the availability of certain products that would otherwise be available only by prescription. We hope to see FDA prioritize finalization of this rule soon after the comment period ends so that consumers may benefit from access to more O-T-C products.

So, while the value and necessity of consumer health care products, like devices, has never been more apparent, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly magnified health disparities that have existed in the United States for generations, and significantly emphasized an even greater need to improve upon low health literacy rates among underserved communities.

The American Medical Association states, “Low health literacy (LHL) is more prevalent among vulnerable populations such as minorities, older adults, persons with lower education and persons with chronic disease. The implications of LHL are significant; health literacy is believed to be a stronger predictor of health outcomes than social or economic status, education, gender or age.”

That’s why health literacy is a top priority for CHPA, and why it should be a top priority for retailers, too. Particularly now, in an era of increasing health misinformation, education has become critically important. The CHPA Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working hard on this front, conducting research last year to understand how we can better empower individuals with low health literacy to make smart self-care decisions. Based on the research, the foundation is developing educational materials and creating programs, in collaboration with retail partners, to inform decision making that positively impacts communities.

More specifically, the foundation is developing retail partnerships in which the retailer provides the foundation’s health and wellness educational information to shoppers. The materials focus on medicine safety, including pain reliever safety, safe medicine storage and safe medicine disposal. To measure their success, they will be tracking interest and awareness using QR codes and “at-shelf” engagement.

The increased use of digital strategies and technologies as a means to share product facts and information with consumers will help ensure safe and appropriate access to, and use of, consumer health care products. With Americans now increasingly proactive about their health and well-being, and with the explosive growth and innovation in the digital health sector, manufacturers and retailers alike have a specific window of opportunity to connect with consumers, address their needs and educate them in a way that elevates self-care to an essential part of their lives. Together, it’s our job to provide transparent, understandable information, as well as safe and beneficial products.

Scott Melville is president and chief executive officer of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.