WebPT Blog - digital health
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2 CommentsJul 23, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
In a recent post, mHealth Insight explained that we’re more likely as consumers to drop the “health” in mHealth rather than the “mobile,” because mobile cannibalizes all things pocket-sized and digital. Anything plus mobile eventually just equals mobile. For example, camera phones and music phones are both now just phones. So, mHealth will soon just be mobile, too. Folks won’t look up from their giant touchscreen phones and say they’re “engaging with the Healthcare system;” they’ll instead say “oh, I’m just using my phone.”
But when will mHealth be that intrinsically mobile? Let’s look at the healthcare side first. According to Mobile Business Briefing, Vodafone, “one of the strongest operator proponents of mobile healthcare technology,” says that first healthcare must be accessible on a global scale. They’ve identified five key areas driving the digital health sector:
- Remote monitoring
- Mobile flexible working
- Access to medicine
- Clinical research
- Marketing and engagement
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Jul 11, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Last week we talked about why social media is a valuable health resource for patients. But what about the health care provider? The all-consuming prevalence of social media has permeated every corner of business, including healthcare, which has helped spawn the digital health movement. The social media healthcare connection is inevitable, so it’s time to get on board.
In an article on amednews.com, Pamela Lewis Dolan lists four ways medical professionals can use social media to improve their practice:1.) Discover needed services.
“Through social media, physicians can gain insight into what patients are willing to do to improve their health and what obstacles stand in their way,” Dolan reports. For example, Strive Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation in New Jersey uses Facebook to learn what services and events (like screenings) interest people. Another instance: Jessica Logan, social media and online content specialist for the University of California, San Diego Health Sciences marketing and communications department, uses Twitter to watch developing health trends and needs within the community.
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Jul 5, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
We all want to lead a healthy lifestyle but can too much technology be problematic? This past Tuesday, Erica and I covered 12 personal health monitoring devices for the health 2.0 lifestyle. In today’s post, let’s talk about real user experience: the good, the bad, and the gimmicky.
In an article posted on AllThingsD.com, Andy Smith, CEO of IAC-owned DailyBurn, told reporter Lauren Goode that today’s fitness tracking devices border on gimmicks: “I feel like these are not quite a gimmick, but are close to it...You get people to spend $100 to $150 bucks on something that’s just a glorified accelerometer—which, by the way, you have in your phone, too.”
Smith’s company, the Daily Burn (once upon a time known as Gyminee), is a fitness-data-tracking company that pivoted to focus primarily on fitness content because data tracking just wasn’t all that effective. -
Jul 3, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
A healthy lifestyle is hard to achieve without accountability, and what better way to hold yourself accountable than with the latest, greatest, wifi and social-enabled gadgetry on the market? Here, fellow copywriter Erica and I break down 12 products—ranging from full wellness to just sleep—that offer super slick devices with corresponding, user-friendly management programs.
Complete Health & Wellness
FitBit is the ultimate health and wellness monitoring system. It’s comprehensive, cohesive, and affordable. A wifi-enabled scale tracks weight, body fat percentage, and BMI, and a personal monitoring device tracks everyday steps, stairs climbed, calories burned, heart rate, and sleeping habits. Both transmit data to a personalized dashboard, accessible online and through a mobile app, where you can track meals, workouts, and share with friends on social media sites. Mind blown yet? Well, throw in a yearly membership fee and you can also get in-depth analytical reporting, personal training, peer rankings, and detailed tracking capabilities.
Jawbone UP is FitBit minus the scale, and instead of a USB-shaped clip-on monitoring device, the UP device is an inconspicuous, sleek bracelet. Me rambling on in prose about Jawbone UP is a complete disservice to their marketing. Check out their introductory video, which summarizes UP in very pretty nutshell. -
May 8, 2012| Lindsay Bayuk
Have you been captivated by the evolution of patient-centric health? The broader scope of eHealth, mHealth, and digital health (in its beginning stages) is exciting to watch. However, the concept of a truly “plugged in” healthcare system is far from reality. Still, groups like the Center for Connected Health are pushing the industry forward.
Pioneering founder, Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, and his center are driving the tech-enabled, patient-centric vision. Recently, Discovery.com featured Dr. Kvedar, along with the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania, in a Health IT segment. There, he discussed advancements in remote patient monitoring that are critical to cost savings and more importantly, saving lives. The short web video highlights elderly patients who monitored their health daily with devices from home. Those daily stats are then automatically transmitted to an RN who looks for any warning signs and can quickly respond if necessary—high tech and user-friendly!
Similarly, GE Healthcare just got approval from the FDA to launch an app for radiologists to remotely review computed tomography and magnetic resonance on iPads. This use of mobile devices by doctors as well as remote monitoring of patients at home both show that “the line between consumer and enterprise devices continues to blur.”
