How Olympic Skier, Jennifer Heil, Uses Digital Health as an Athlete & Mom

I missed winning an Olympic bronze medal by 1/100^th of a point — the smallest margin to differentiate two skiers in the sport of freestyle mogul skiing. I was 18 years old. After the heartbreak passed, I asked myself: what can I really control?

Well, I can’t control the judges, the weather, or my competitors. The only thing I can control is my mental, emotional, and technical performance. In order to take charge of these factors, I had to build a world class team — with myself at the centre. This included being at the centre of my medical team so I could deal with my chronic injuries.

How digital health helped me as an athlete

My medical team included a strength and conditioning coach, an osteopath, nutritionists, a deep tissue massage therapist, and a sport psychologist. I took 18-months away from my sport to heal my injuries and to build the foundation to become a world-class athlete. To make sure my team was as effective as it could be, proper communication was key. Part of our communication plan included using digital health so my information could be easily shared amongst all team members.

As I stood in the start gate four years later in Torino, at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, I was 100 per cent ready to ski at my best — when it mattered the most. Being at the centre of a team that communicated well with each other made a difference. It meant we were all collectively working together to make me better.

Since then, I’ve started a new chapter as a mom which has given me the chance to experience a different side of a medical team working well together.

How digital health helps me as a parent

Today, as a mother of two boys under the age of three, I take the same approach to their health as I did with my athletic career.

What I’ve experienced first-hand during a health issue in my pregnancy is that when communication breaks down or doesn’t exist, care is no longer optimal. My family doctor wasn’t available, and as I went from care team to care team, including a visit to the ER, I took a paper file with me of my medical history. It meant that I had to repeat my history every time. Different care providers – all of whom had important parts to play in my, and my child’s, health outcomes – were relying on me for critical pieces to the puzzle. Here, seamless digital communication and authorized access to my health information would have made things easier and reduced a lot of the stress I felt.

Today, a lot has changed and I’m no longer carrying around that paper file to make the right connections. My health care team has me at the centre of it all and I play an active part thanks to the right tools. I am grateful that my doctor’s office uses electronic bookings and shares lab tests results electronically. It has increased my ability to manage appointments and to get the timely information I need to understand the overall picture of my health, and that of my family.

I look forward to the time when there is a complete digital health record. Now that will be a gold medal for everyone.