Amidst the backdrop of the United States being the world’s highest spender on healthcare, a sober reality emerges: despite this immense investment, the nation faces many alarming statistics on the state of public health.
With the lowest life expectancy among developed nations, coupled with distressingly high rates of avoidable deaths, maternal and infant mortality, as well as an epidemic of chronic conditions and obesity, the current state of healthcare in the U.S. is unsustainable.
Confronted by these challenges, a pivot towards proactive healthcare solutions isn’t just desirable — it’s imperative. In this landscape of urgency and opportunity, the emergence of precision data from wearables and health tech platforms, and the quantified self-movement it has spawned, stand out as a disruptive innovation that could reshape the healthcare industry without needing to step into a clinical setting.
Using Personalized Data to Move Beyond Cookie Cutter Care
The integration of wearables into healthcare marks a significant shift towards personalized, data-driven medicine, transcending individual health management. These devices evolve beyond simple personal monitoring gadgets, becoming catalysts for transformative healthcare solutions that reach beyond the individual, influencing broader societal health.
At the core of this evolution lies in the wealth of data wearables, and health tech platforms, which are being built in their footsteps, unlock. While they empower users to monitor their health, perhaps more importantly, they aggregate anonymized data on a large scale. Through innovative applications, this data becomes a powerful tool for predictive analytics and prescriptive care, further paving the way for tailored healthcare interventions that cater to individual needs rather than the masses.
With this data at our hands, traditional healthcare models — historically reliant on generalized approaches derived from large-scale studies — can be turned on their heads. We’re now able to offer healthcare on a much more personalized level, powered by real-time insights into individual behaviors and physiological metrics.
Forward-thinking healthcare organizations recognize their potential to revolutionize care delivery on a societal level. Forward-thinking healthcare organizations like the Institute for Healthier Living in the UAE exemplify the practical application of this paradigm. I witnessed it firsthand when I supported the institute in harnessing personalized health data with advanced analytics. But I’ve also seen this type of data utilized in providing unique healthcare solutions in aging care and even ADHD treatment in kids.
Improving Health Tech Experiences to Utilize Data from Underprivileged Groups
Despite the promising outlook, health technology still grapples with low adoption rates, particularly among demographics with higher risks of health complications, such as heart disease patients. Recent studies reveal that less than 1 in 5 heart disease patients currently utilize wearables, indicating a significant gap in harnessing the potential of these devices for early detection and proactive management of cardiovascular health.
Research suggests that age, education level, and household income significantly influence wearable usage and personalized health data use, highlighting disparities in access and adoption among different socioeconomic groups. To address this, future product innovation must prioritize affordability, user education, simplicity of use, and tailored solutions catering to the needs of diverse populations, especially those facing socioeconomic barriers.
Moreover, wearable technology faces a multitude of challenges, including ensuring accuracy, security, interoperability, and regulatory compliance. While many consumer-grade wearables may not fall under FDA regulations, the data they collect necessitates adherence to stringent data privacy laws. Thus, a holistic approach is imperative, considering the interplay between innovation, regulation, and accessibility to ensure equitable distribution and impact across all segments of society.
The next frontier lies in addressing the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to these transformative technologies. Bridging this gap will require concerted efforts from policymakers, industry stakeholders, and community advocates to deliver health tech solutions to underserved communities and drive meaningful societal impact.
Shifting Primary Care to Preventative Care to Increase Engagement
In contrast to many other countries, Americans have fewer physician visits and a lower ratio of practicing physicians and hospital beds per 1,000 population. Shockingly, only 8% of Americans undergo routine health screenings, underscoring a glaring deficiency in preventative care. Wearables and other new technologies can actually be used as a Trojan horse to encourage better physician and overall personal healthcare engagement. Wearables provide data and findings on personal health that can spawn questions and proactive reaching out by patients to their primary care doctors.
By combining this technology with new models like Oak Street Health, which is spearheading the redesign of preventative primary care, we can make the interaction between healthcare providers, patients, and technology frictionless. This can be done through both in-person and virtual settings. For instance, Oak Street has acquired several virtual care providers and implemented telemedicine solutions to extend the reach of preventative care beyond traditional clinical settings and into the homes of individuals, fostering greater accessibility and engagement.
Of course, personal health technology is not limited to watches or traditional heart monitors. We’ve seen the Withings ecosystem introduce a handheld “multiscope” equipped with essential diagnostic tools such as an ECG, oximeter, stethoscope, and even a thermometer. While patient-generated health data from wearables such as these hold huge potential, challenges remain in integrating this data into existing healthcare systems.
But, the imperative for better health outcomes at reduced costs is clear. As stakeholders navigate the complexities of data ownership and interoperability, the goal of continuity of care remains critical in driving positive patient outcomes. Ultimately, health technology and the precision data in unlocks is not just a trend, but a catalyst for the transformation of healthcare. It holds promise in driving impactful health interventions that create immense value for all stakeholders involved – including patients, healthcare providers, and even insurance plans.
About Justin Sirotin
Justin Sirotin has spent over 25 years in his career developing successful products, services, brand experiences, and businesses for health tech brands and start-ups alike. Currently, Justin is the founder of OCTO, a product development firm that delivers highly individualized software and product design and engineering services to companies of all sizes. Prior to founding OCTO, Justin worked as the General Manager for Item New Product Development (now Ximedica), a medical technology product development and manufacturing firm headquartered in Providence, RI. Justin has been an adjunct faculty member at RISD in the Industrial Design Department since 2008.
