No More Needle Pain: Healthcare Startup Patches the Patient Experience
⛑ The patient experience
A “patient experience startup,” as Manju Dawkins, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Thimble, describes her company, is a healthcare startup intending to innovate to improve medical experiences for all. According to the Health Information National Trends Survey, 25% of people do not get medical care because they fear being uncomfortable. In a way, the pain has become normalized, and doing nothing about it has caused fear and avoidance of the doctor, which in turn causes the worsening of medical conditions because seeking treatment has been put off. This can be detrimental to patients because avoiding medical care may result in late detection of disease, reduced survival, and potentially preventable human suffering.
The patient experience has been overlooked in many aspects, which presents an excellent opportunity for startups in healthcare. Patients cannot be helped if they do not feel comfortable to even seek necessary medical assistance, to begin with. The patient’s view on their care, experience at the physician’s office, and widespread fear and anxiety levels around medical treatment matter. In fact, a recent analysis from Deloitte Consulting, in collaboration with MedTech Innovator (MTI), found that MedTech startups are rapidly shifting their focus to address the “full patient journey.” This shows that innovators in the MedTech startup ecosystem quickly adapt to the evolving standard of the patient experience and find great success.
💭 Why needles?
When accessing medical patients’ experiences, needles are one of the most prominent and common causes of patient fear. According to the CDC, 66% of kids and 25% of adults are afraid of needles. This is an issue when people who fear needles avoid needles, and unfortunately, this means they do not get the vaccines, lab screenings, and medications needed to stay healthy. A Target market research study showed that 23% of people in the U.S. avoid flu shots because of the needle. Additionally, a recent University of Oxford study suggested that COVID-19 vaccinations could increase by 10% if injection anxiety was actually treated.
The needle-pain market is enormous because almost every person will need to get a needle injection at some point in their life. Beyond just vaccines, needles are standard in all different areas of treatment and procedures, yet needle fear has only recently been addressed by rising startups in the healthcare industry. For example, the San Diego-based startup, Biolinq Inc., is developing tiny dermal biosensors to help people with diabetes track their blood sugar needle-free and just raised $100 million in their second round of VC investment. Furthermore, researchers in the Netherlands are developing the ‘Bubble Gun,’ which uses laser technology to deliver “virtually painless injections.” Beta testing of the Bubble Gun on tissue samples has successfully been carried out with a $1.73 million European Union grant.
❤️🩹 Thimble lives up to its name…literally
Manju Dawkins, MD, had the idea for Thimble when she took her first daughter for her first vaccine appointment. Manju was not prepared for her daughter’s reaction. Once she was stuck, she looked at Manju with disbelief and betrayal. It was like she was saying, “How could you let this happen to me?” At that moment, Manju lost her trust in the needle process for the first time. As did the doctors involved. While needle pain is common for children, it should addressed, as it can cause children to grow up fearing and lacking trust in the medical industry.
Manju was in her dermatology residency at the time, so she had plenty of access to doctors and was able to get a prescription numbing cream. However, using this medication is not intuitive–it melts and migrates and has some scary side effects. Being an innovative physician and mother, Manju built contraptions to hold the medicine in place and help prevent a mess on her daughter’s arm.
“Preparing for needles really changed our experience at the doctor. During this time, I started to pay attention to my patients. Most kids and many adults hated needles, and it started to seem crazy that people didn’t have options to control the pain,” Manju reflects. She would often prescribe that same numbing cream to her patients and observed how many were shocked that there was even something they could do for the pain. “Frankly, having a patient who feels more in control helps me perform better as a physician. This is proven in the research! Everyone wins when pain and anxiety are controlled.”
Our culture tells us that we should be able to “suck it up” when it comes to needles, yet needle phobia rates are 2.5 higher than 30 years ago. This makes a lot of sense because young kids get five times as many needles as they did decades ago–and it is a good thing as the population is more protected against disease than ever. However, each of these shots can be traumatic.
Thimble is clearly committed to improving medical experiences for everyone. Manju explains, “it is normal and biological to fear and avoid painful stimuli–we shouldn’t be shaming people for feeling that way.” This exact mentality makes Thimble a revolutionary patient experience startup, as they are human-centered and problem-focused, solving a universal issue using medical devices and tech/digital health.
“I think in the healthcare industry, there can sometimes be a disconnect between the people doing the work on the ground and the people who get to build solutions. I feel really lucky to be able to bridge that. Also, in the healthcare industry, solutions are often built that don’t keep the individual consumer in mind. At Thimble, we really want to create something for the people.” — Manju Dawkins, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Thimble
😷 Patient needs are evolving
To prioritize the patient experience, Manju’s goal with Thimble is to start as a B2C company while forming partnerships to eventually become a B2B business. Thimble believes that consumers deserve options immediately and therefore wants to give people the opportunity to have more control and more comfort with their medical experiences. However, there are a lot of stakeholders who stand to benefit from Thimble, which is why Manju expects to form B2B partnerships along the way. Not only can Thimble service patients and caregivers, but also healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations, hospitals, and government and public health agencies.
Thimble eases needle fear and pain for patients and caregivers so that families can take better care of their health. When patient anxiety is reduced, healthcare professionals operate with greater safety, efficiency, and confidence. This builds workforce loyalty and reduces burnout and stress-related turnover.
Manju is tackling a global need as rates of needle phobia have increased quickly over the past few decades. As the problem has grown, a needle pain solution has gone from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have. This same progression should be realized for the concept of prioritizing the patient experience as a whole. In previous decades, the patient experience has taken a back seat to the priority of saving lives, rightfully so. However, with more resources and knowledge to go around, healthcare startups are adding another layer to the value of medical care–saving lives while also incorporating as much compassion for the patient experience as possible.
📳 More than just a pain patch
Beyond the numbing patch, Thimble has a digital platform to add convenience and ease. Thimble strives to be the best resource for anyone who does not like needles, as they intend to educate people on how to best prepare themselves for injections. Thimble has created an easy-to-use tool that combines research-backed, drug-free techniques to lessen anxiety with needles.
In addition, the app saves time and therefore money for healthcare professionals, clinics, and hospitals. The Thimble app is an affordable and easy-to-implement solution for hospitals and clinics. By allowing patients to receive empathy and compassion for their physical and emotional pain, Thimble diminishes barriers to all care administered by needles. Ultimately, this improves public health and reduces healthcare costs at scale.
🏥 Opportunity for healthcare startups
Almost everyone has experienced some degree of pain points in their healthcare journey. Manju urges healthcare founders to “Use your authentic experience to create solutions. Talk to people because you’ll probably realize that many others have experienced the same problem.”
“I love the idea of identifying a problem in healthcare and then building a solution. Often healthcare businesses arise the other way: technology or research presents a solution, and then you have to go find a problem that fits. This has worked well, but I think there is an unrealized opportunity in the converse.” — Manju Dawkins, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Thimble
Ask yourself, “what has been normalized as a part of the patient experience that should not be?” Before now, the industry did not think the problem of needle pain was significant enough. Thimble’s solution has taken considerable R&D to build. There are regulatory paths to navigate and therefore, it is understandable why traditional healthcare corporations have not invested the time and money into addressing this issue. However, the pandemic has really shined a light on how significant this issue really is.
Manju explains, “This is the kind of problem that is best understood by people on the ground, interacting with patients and patients’ family members. As more opportunities surrounding the patient experience come to light, there is greater potential for startups in the healthcare sector to innovate and address these issues by putting patients first. Healthcare workers are busy, though–now, more than ever. And we aren’t often given the time or space to innovate.”
🤩 The future of Thimble
The Thimble team–Manju and her husband, Armand Dawkins–have funded themselves until 2021. They recently closed their first SAFE round (oversubscribed!), and their cap table includes the Fund, Pipeline Angels, and physician investors. Manju notes, “What I love about all of our investors is that they see the vision, purpose, and necessity of Thimble. We hope to attract VCs in the healthcare sector who understand putting people at the center of decision making.”
Over the next five years, Thimble foresees rapid growth and expansion. Manju expects her team to be the leaders in reinserting compassion back into health care, first in the U.S. and then globally. By then, Thimble will be able to demonstrate its impact on public health as a whole.
“I think the future of healthcare should be centered around human compassion. And by that I mean compassion for patients, their caretakers, and their healthcare workers.” — Manju Dawkins, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Thimble
4 Entrepreneurial Tips from Manju:
- ☄️ Business is about momentum: creating it, keeping it going, and capitalizing on it.
- 🤝 Creating FOMO is valuable and should not be underestimated.
- 💡 We are in a moment of blossoming change. It’s essential to be more open to new ideas and find purpose in your work.
- 💭 Use your authentic experience to create solutions, and at the end of the day, just go for it!
Learn more about Thimble here. Take Thimble’s survey! Thimble is building solutions for all, but they plan to start by helping those that get the most shots: kids. Thimble wants to better understand how needles make parents and kids feel about shots or blood draws, and what might help them get through these procedures. Help Thimble create the solution that you want by filling out this survey and sharing the survey with your friends and family: English Survey; Spanish Survey
Thimble is among the 20 companies selected to be part of the inaugural Friends & Family Winter 2022 cohort. Manju and Armand have joined a nationwide community of motivated and innovative founders receiving business mentorship and guidance from Slauson and Co. and Grid110.
About Grid110
Grid110 is an economic and community development nonprofit dedicated to creating clearer pathways to success for early-stage entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. Their mission is to foster the most thriving, inviting & inclusive community for entrepreneurs by making the entrepreneurial path more equitable, inclusive, and accessible. Through their no-cost, no-equity accelerator programs, Grid110 provides founders with a growing community of fellow entrepreneurs, expert mentorship, and crucial resources. It has supported 215 companies that have raised more than $60 million since its creation in 2015. Ninety-four percent of companies supported by Grid110 are led by women and entrepreneurs of color.
About Slauson & Co
Slauson & Co. is a $75 million Los Angeles-based early-stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion. The firm established Off Slauson as its non-profit arm to support entrepreneurs beyond the investments made by the fund.
