iBehave is a meetup focused on the usage of technology as an enabler of behaviour change by enabling behavioural transition from risk behaviours to those akin with positive health outcomes. Our mission is to provide an OPEN INNOVATION ecosystem designed to:

1. Enable the achievement of game changing health outcomes by showcasing, encouraging and accelerating technical innovations where game mechanics related techniques can be used to drive behaviour change and compliance.

2. Foster a community of companies and individuals interested in enacting behavioural change in the healthcare industry through game mechanics related behaviour change techniques.

BACKGROUND

David Halpern, head of the Cabinet Office’s behavioural insights team points out that less than 0.5% of healthcare research investment is spent on behavioural factors. Yet, behaviour accounts for a disproportionate disease and economic burden i.e. more than 10% of the NHS budget and 40% of morbidity and mortality. The impact of risk behaviours are as pertinent in prevention as they are in treatment, with the public as with the clinician.

Take obesity as an example. With nearly 500m people overweight or obese globally, the cost associated with this epidemic, largely grounded in poor diet and activity based lifestyle choices is astronomical. It costs $160bn in the US in medical treatment http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2012/08/16/what-the-obesity-epidemic-costs-us-infographic/ and across Europe accounts for between 2-8% of healthcare budgets.

When it comes to treatment, adherence is a critical issue - In some disease conditions, more than 40% of patients incur significant risks by forgetting, or ignoring healthcare advice. When treatment regiments are complex, non adherence can be as high as 70%. Recent US estimates point to hospitalization costs due to non adherence being as high as $13bn. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1661624/

Behaviour is also an issue among healthcare professionals, in the UK the NHS faces rising costs associated with clinical negligence to the tune of £16.6bn annually or 15% of its total budget

Scaling this globally, including the emerging markets where these issues are as pertinent, the cost of risk behaviours across prevention and treatment (adherence) can be estimated at between $500bn to $1tn annually, making this a significant opportunity space.

WHO’S WELCOME?

Entrepeneurs, developers, UX designers, gamification experts, GP’s and medical practitioners, wellness practitioners, fitness trainers, behaviour change specialists… and really anyone who has an interest in this space and has something interesting to share.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT TO GET OUT OF IT?

Connect with some great experts, mentors, potential co-founders, and unlock some great new business ideas and insights