Technology has impacted various sectors of society for some time now; however, most recently has conformed the way we monitor our health. In an earlier blog post, I reflected on the booming smart watch industry, but wearable technology has superseded the ordinary smart watch and now includes more advanced watches and fitness bands.
The Apple watch and Fitbit have seemingly changed the way people view health care overnight. With features that monitor your heart rate and sleeping patterns, it’s almost as though we have a physician readily available on our wrist.
In an article for digitaltrends.com, author Lulu Chang references a study from Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, which reflects on how wearable technology has changed the healthcare industry. According to the study, one in five Americans owns some form of wearable technology. The study went on to ask those surveyed if they believed their life expectancy had increased due to their device, 56% percent believed it had increased their expectancy by a decade. While I’m unsure of the likelihood behind those beliefs, wearable technology has most certainly made consumers more healthy.
According to Northwestern’s study, there was a 44% decrease in sick days for employees that wear a tracker on a daily basis. BP had distributed FitBits to all of their employees and saw their corporate healthcare costs drop below the national growth rate. BP isn’t the only company taking part in the initiative to integrate wearable technology into their policies. Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. have also taken part in the initiative in hopes of more people investing in their health thus, cutting costs for the corporations.
Fit bands and smart watches have most certainly shaped the way consumers monitor their health and one can only presume it will only further advance in time. Technology is forever progressing and wearable technology has the potential to make a substantial impact on the healthcare industry. Aside from tracking physical activity and collecting minimal health data, wearable technology is constantly being fine tuned to further benefit consumers and better integrate health care providers.
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Mark Cohen NYC 