A complex regulatory environment and deeply embedded legacy systems traditionally have made the healthcare industry a laggard when it comes to adopting new technologies. But the proverbial floodgates opened over the past several years, with technological innovation transforming care and transforming lives. Healthcare technology is about to get another shot in the arm. This year will bring us […]
Tag Archives: health
How Lifestyle Data Can Enhance Patient Care and Patient Satisfaction
With about 7.5 billion people on the planet, you might think that some of them are bound to be the same — except, of course, they’re not. When you take into account people’s environment, education, experiences, and DNA, everyone is a little different. So wouldn’t it make sense for doctors to treat each patient as an individual? […]
It’s 2018, and We Still Have No Idea If Mobile Healthcare Apps Work
What was the promise of reduced admissions and improved health outcomes in patients? This goal has not been achieved and is not happening how we thought it would. Usage of mobile devices in healthcare is basically what mHealth is. App development for healthcare. Using the continuous mHealth-powered, patient-provider connection — is what drives the mobile […]
3 Ways Wearables Are Reinventing Preventative Care
Is it better to treat an illness or prevent it altogether? While most people would prefer to never get sick in the first place, today’s healthcare system focuses its attention on treatment-based care. And who can blame doctors? Prevention is far more difficult than treatment. While the medical field is beginning to understand the importance […]
How Big Data Can Help Millions of Refugees
Although it can be difficult to imagine for the millions of us who live in safety and comfort, 24 people are forced to leave their homes every minute and become refugees. These are people faced with violence, political unrest, or persecution, and it’s simply not safe for them to stay in their home country. Currently, […]
Your Doctor’s Visits Will Change Forever With These New Technologies
Maybe you’ve seen one of those Norman Rockwell paintings of kids in a physician’s office that make it seem as if taking your child to the doctor is an oil-painted slice of Americana. In reality, a pediatrician’s office can be a nightmarish place, rampant with germs and interminable waits. One reason a visit to the […]
Technology Needs to Make Healthy Food Scalable and Affordable
Many have been calling the healthy and organic food category the next trillion-dollar industry. With allergen-free foods experiencing 30 percent sales growth in the U.S. and healthy snacks alone estimated to top $138 billion by 2020, it’s not surprising that 88 percent of consumers say they’ll pay more for access to healthy foods. The demand […]
Jawbone goes into liquidation; founder launches new health startup
Jawbone, once rivaling Fitbit for the top spot in the fitness wearable market, has begun liquidation proceedings after years of lackluster product launches and job cuts. Hosain Rahman, the CEO and co-founder of Jawbone, has already established a new startup, Jawbone Health Hub, which will work on connected products for the health industry, says The […]
Apple Watch to be sold alongside Aetna health insurance plans
The Apple Watch could soon be sold discounted or free to Aetna’s 23 million members, as a way to improve health outcomes and lower insurance costs, according to a CNBC report. Apple held a series of meetings with Aetna executives and hospital chief medical information officers, discussing the possibility of a plan that included the […]
Scientists create comfortable e-skin wearable that lasts for a week
A group of Japanese scientists have created an “inflammation-free, lightweight, stretchable” e-skin sensor capable of lasting for up to a week, published in Nature Nanotechnology this week. The new development could open the way for medical wearables that track heart-rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar throughout the week, without being invasive to the user. See […]
Fitbit looks to health industry for future growth
After disappointing first quarter sales, Fitbit is making a move for the wearable health market. The company said it has a device in development that will be able to detect sleep apnea, a disorder that affects around 18 million American adults. Symptoms of sleep apnea include pauses in breathing, shallow breathing during sleep, and tiredness […]
How IoT could let you better understand your workout data
With the increasing popularity of wearables, like Fitbit trackers and Apple Watches, people are starting to understand their fitness levels much better. By wearing Apple Watches, for instance, we can figure out our average heart rate while exercising; by wearing smart sport jackets, we can tell if our motion tails are correct — frequent use of wearables will […]
Nokia rebrands all Withings products a year after acquisition
Nokia has rebranded all Withings products and will be retiring the brand, a year after acquiring the French health-tech company for $191 million. The three wearables, Go, Steel, and Steel HR, will remain part of Nokia’s portfolio. Go is a simple E-Ink activity and sleep tracker with one year charge, available for $50. Steel does […]
Meet Emma, the wearable that helps people with Parkinson’s
Microsoft has unveiled a prototype watch that helps those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder that affects over 10 million people worldwide. The wearable, codenamed Project Emma, is designed to reduce the uncontrollable shaking, one of the early Parkinson’s symptoms. Small vibration motors inside the wearable stop the brain from creating as many tremors. […]
Defining the three Cs of connected health: Communication, collaboration and community
Medicine is a field slow to adopt an innovation; after all, you are dealing with people’s lives and there is a very high bar for discarding old ways. That said, a huge percentage of the medical community will agree that tradition has often hampered the adoption of new technologies that can significantly improve communication, collaboration, […]
Seniors getting helping hand from new wearables
Wearables are now a significant part of corporate wellness and remote patient monitoring programs. However, long-term investment from seniors remains a challenge, despite an increasing need for seniors to have better healthcare options. See Also: Richer, sicker seniors to drive medical wearables market growth Garmin and Tactio Health Group, two major companies involved in telehealth […]
Boston University looks for insights to Alzheimer’s from wearables
Boston University researchers have been working on creating wearable devices that that can detect signs of early dementia and Alzheimer’s. The goal of this three-year research project is to reveal minute physical changes that correspond with the slow mental decline associated with this illness. Right now, it is hard to detect early preclinical Alzheimer’s. See […]
NBA bans teams from using wearable data in contract negotiations
NBA teams will not be allowed to use a player’s wearable data in contract negotiations or transactions, according to a bargaining agreement between the league and the National Basketball Players Association. The agreement ensures that wearable data will only be used for tactical purposes and an arbitrator will be able to impose fines of up […]
Jawbone to end consumer sales, pivot to medical industry
Jawbone might pivot to the medical industry as it exits the consumer market, according to people close to the company. It has already sold all its assets for the Jambox speaker business, and has heavily reduced its customer support staff. The private company is apparently talking to several investors about a new funding round, aimed […]
Samsung skips robots to focus on health wearables
Samsung will focus more on health wearables than robots in this year, in stark contrast to its South Korean rival LG Electronics, which revealed the Hub Robot, a mobile artificial intelligence assistant, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017. The Galaxy mobile maker sees more potential for health wearables in an ageing population than robots, […]