Founder’s Musings
Against the health score
A single number that summarises your health is a product decision rather than a clinical one. Why Opwel does not publish a health score, and what it shows instead.
· 4 minute read
Why scores are appealing
A score is legible. It fits on a card, it moves week to week, and it gives a product something to show. Everyone involved can see progress.
It is also the reason scores keep appearing in health apps regardless of whether they mean anything.
Why we do not publish one
Compressing a person into one number throws away exactly the information a clinician needs: which markers moved, in which direction, alongside what symptoms, over what period.
It also invites the wrong behaviour. People optimise the number rather than the thing the number was supposed to represent, and a score that goes up while someone feels worse is worse than no score at all.
This is commentary and opinion from the Opwel team. It is not medical guidance and it is not advice about your own health.