At this year’s HLTH Europe event in Amsterdam, I sat down with Peter Grinbergs, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of EQL, to discuss how digital healthcare is transforming physiotherapy, the importance of timely assessments and the role of technology in improving patient outcomes.
What led you to this role?
I’m a physio by background. I started my career in elite sport, working in premiership football for three years. I then set up a nationwide physiotherapy business, which I ran for about 10 years before selling it to a digital health business. That’s when I became more interested in consumer-facing digital solutions. We were building virtual GP offerings, and I was always interested in tech. In football, the impact you can have is vastly different from the public sector. For example, in sport, you can control all the variables and guarantee a quick recovery. In the public sector, delays in treatment lead to longer recovery times and higher costs. By assessing and treating people quickly, as we do in sport, we could achieve similar recovery times. This disparity fascinated me, and I wanted to address it with tech. At EQL, we built a system to replicate the initial assessment quickly, putting people on the right treatment pathway and augmenting care delivery.
Are assessment delays the most pressing issue in your view?
Yes. Definitely. A lot of the problem is about access to data and the manual or poor interfaces for data exchange. With EQL, we aim to balance this and allow quick data exchange. Our MSK product, Phio, uses a chatbot for people to report symptoms and receive appropriate treatment recommendations, improving the time to value from a patient’s perspective.
What would you say to potential patients who might be sceptical of using technology instead of face-to-face consultations?
We’re not ideological about tech. We offer a digital front door that is optional. If you use it, you’ll get a recommendation for the best pathway, which might still be face-to-face treatment. We aim to deliver value and improve user experience, regardless of the method. Interestingly, through our NHS contracts, we’ve found that minority groups in deprived areas are more willing to engage through our digital front door, possibly due to reduced stigma compared to traditional GP visits.
How do you ensure you keep up with the most recent research and studies, especially regarding women’s and minority health?
We don’t look for a diagnosis but rather put patients in the right place based on symptoms. This involves using evidence-informed data models and expert opinion. We also validate our data models to take into account risk factors, incident data and social-psychological impact. Our approach is dynamic as data improves over time, and we ensure a clinician oversees all processes to bridge any gaps.
What do you say to clinicians who are sceptical about the use of technology in healthcare?
Clinicians are trained to be sceptical, and it’s important to use the best tools available. Until we no longer have people on waiting lists, there is no argument against using technology that can help relieve pressure. It’s our responsibility to explain the value of what we’re doing to sceptical clinicians.
In terms of preventative technology, where do you see the future?
Healthcare should be proactive, not reactive. Prevention is challenging to monetise, but there are daily actions that can keep people injury-free and improve lifespan. We provide free materials to our corporate customers to increase awareness and encourage preventive measures.
What is the main barrier to the adoption of technology in healthcare?
The main barrier is the assumption that technology will replace jobs or privatise the NHS. It’s on us to better explain the value and benefits of technology. In physio, there’s actually less resistance because physios are keen to adopt new tech.
What are some surprising ways you’ve seen technology utilised in physio and MSK?
Motion capture is really interesting. It can theoretically analyse movement patterns and predict injuries. However, the challenge is ensuring reliable data from patients. This area has great potential, especially for prevention.