The Inner Critic

We all have an inner critic: The voice that criticizes you (Why did you do that?), the voice that replays conversations in your head (What were you thinking?), the voice that tells you that you’re not good enough (This sentence you just wrote—it sucks.).

In the personal development space, the inner critic has a terrible reputation. One book calls it the “asshole who lives inside my head.” Another calls it the “enemy within.”

The message is clear: Quiet your inner critic, shut down the asshole, and banish it once and for all so it can’t ever bother you again.

Here’s the thing: This approach doesn’t work.

The solution? Instead of trying to silence your inner critic, start engaging with it.

Here’s the thing: Your inner critic serves a valuable purpose. It’s there to challenge you, spot potential problems, and introduce doubt. Without an inner critic, we’d stop caring and grow complacent. We couldn’t perform at our best.

Listening to your inner critic doesn’t mean doing everything it says. Think of the inner critic as the devil’s advocate in your head. It’s there to push and prod you, but don’t let it mock you or dictate your direction. You’re in control. When it steps out of bounds with destructive self-talk, respond with a simple, “I hear you, thank you for your opinion, but you can relax. I’m on top of it.”

That is the same in healthcare, the inner critic plays a crucial role in deciding to use new technologies in patient care, especially in outpatient care.

Is the technology working? Can the technology replace providers? Do I really need it?

Some of those inner critic questions are creating a big barrier in the adaptation of new technologies in remote patient care.

Healthcare leaders recognize the potential of predictive analytics, but there are roadblocks to progress

While healthcare leaders have high levels of confidence in predictive analytics, data security is key to further building trust, ultimately increasing the use of this technology.

There is a gap between early- and late-adopting hospitals and healthcare facilities when it comes to data technology Unlike early adopters, late adopters feel that in order to succeed with new data strategies, they need: more clarity around how data is being used, greater access to data specialists and better tracking of performance metrics and KPIs. One way of addressing these concerns could be through forging mentoring partnerships with early adopters in other hospitals and healthcare facilities. Late adopters are more likely to report having issues among staff when it comes to upgrading technology (32% vs. 21%), suggesting early adopters may have more systems in place to help their staff adjust to changes in technology. Late adopters are also more likely to experience a lack of data interoperability across technology platforms (25% vs. 18%). When it is difficult for late adopters to upgrade technology due to challenges with the training staff, they are also less likely to resolve interoperability issues. These hospitals could benefit from multifaceted solutions that help train staff for an easier transition to advanced technology, enabling them to use data more effectively. (The Future Health Index )

Health care consumers typically interact with the health system only when they are sick or injured. But the future of health will be focused on well-being and prevention rather than treatment

Right now patients need to come back to the hospital for regular screening and medical imaging even for basic procedures, the highly centralized approach in healthcare is preventing people from following up regular visits and medical imaging that is needed to continuously monitor their health conditions.