The digital takeover of the healthcare industry has revolutionized the way we manage our health. With the advent of smartphone health applications and wearable devices, people can now track their health in ways they never could before. According to a recent Morning Consult survey, 40% of U.S. adults use health applications, and another 35% use wearables, which is up from late-2018 surveys. The main reasons people use health apps are for exercise or heart rate monitoring, while cost is the main reason some people do not use them, despite finding them useful.
Digital health has progressed from being just a step-counting tool to technology that can help manage chronic diseases and detect irregular heartbeats. The use of health wearables and apps has grown tremendously in the past few years, partly due to the availability of easy-to-use, fairly inexpensive digital health devices. While the majority of adults still do not use these technologies, there is still room for growth. The combination of consumer fascination with the technology and its recognized value is driving up usage tremendously.
From pedometers to heart monitors, there are many different ways to use technology to measure different indicators and improve our health. Pedometers are defined as tech devices, wearables, or apps that help clock your steps as you train, exercise, or go about your day-to-day activities. Heart monitors have greatly evolved from the heavy, uncomfortable devices you would have to strap to your chest. Today, they are stylish, small, packed with cutting-edge features, and can do much more than monitor your heart rate. These handy health tech gadgets allow you to acquire useful knowledge about how your heart works, and most of them record your heart data, which can be easily shared with your doctor, nutritionist, or sports instructor.
Another vital segment of the larger at-home heart health industry is home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM), which has become increasingly important in the past few years. HBPM is a practice in which patients take their own blood pressure readings to help manage high blood pressure after it’s diagnosed or detect whether the chronic condition is present. The availability of easy-to-use, fairly inexpensive digital blood pressure devices has made BP at-home monitors reliable and a great tool for healthcare.
The leading global wearables brand, Fitbit, has been working for years to develop technology that can read sleep patterns and understand their impact on customers’ health. The Fitbit database has led to some interesting discoveries that could prompt customers to change their sleep behaviors for the better and improve sleep quality. One valuable finding is that one in four people tries to make up for the lack of sleep during the week by getting more shut-eye on weekends, which can have serious health consequences in the long term. The new Fitbit Charge 3 is part of Fitbit’s bigger goal of developing FDA-regulated software for sleep and heart conditions.
Choosing the right fit for you when it comes to health tech gadgets can be a burden since heart monitors come in all types, sizes, models, styles, and price tags. That’s why we have put together a comprehensive guide to help you choose the right heart monitor for your health and fitness needs.
The digital takeover of the healthcare industry has put health management into the palms of people’s hands, allowing them to take control of their health like never before. As innovation continues to evolve in almost every area of healthcare, we can expect to see even more exciting and transformative developments in the next five years.
