During a typical annual medical check-up, a doctor evaluates your blood pressure and orders tests to determine your blood glucose level and other aspects of your physiology, sometimes known as your “biometrics”. However, the results are just snapshots in time that may not accurately represent your health status in the “real world.” For example, your blood pressure in the doctor’s office may not accurately represent your blood pressure in the more relaxed environment of your home or the stressful environment of your office.
Mobile health technologies now enable the continuous real time monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, basal metabolic rate, blood glucose, and sleep patterns to name a few. Such data can then be used to fine-tune a behavioral, lifestyle, exercise, and medical regimen tailored to your biology and optimized for your long-term health and wellness.
On your first visit as a DNA-Complete or DNA-Select patient, the physician may prescribe mobile health real-time monitoring of these biometrics. Only those devices that the physician has personally tested and found to be reliable, comfortable and easy to operate will be recommended to you.
In DNA-Fit, patients will learn how to use mobile devices to monitor exercise activity and track relevant clinical metrics, including their basal metabolic rate.
One mobile health device that you may be asked to use is a blood pressure monitor that connects to your smartphone. With the device, you will be able to periodically measure and record your blood pressure over 1 to 2 weeks and wirelessly share your results with your DNA-Complete/DNA-Select physician.
Mobile health technologies can reveal novel information that could influence your eating habits, exercise routine, and the time and dosing of medications, as well as your health and wellness strategies. All this information is portable and can be transferred to your personal physician.
Links
- “Mobile Health: Wireless Technology a Key to Improving Care, Lowering Nation’s $2.5 Trillion in Medical Spending, Exec Says Healthier Practices: Mobile Health Wireless Technologies a Key To Improving Care,” San Diego Business Journal
- “Wireless Future of Medicine,” Eric J. Topol, M.D.’s presentation at TEDMED 2009.
- “Transforming Medicine via Digital Innovation,” Science Translational Medicine. 2010.
- “Medicine on the Move. Mobile Devices Help Improve Treatment,” Wall Street Journal. 2011
- “Enabling Personalized Medicine through Health Information Technology,” Center for Health Care Technology at Brookings, 2011.
- “A Physician’s Perspective on Self-tracking. How can we get the average patient to take charge of their health?” published by Technology Review. 2011.
- “A Dashboard for Your Body,” New York Times. 2011.
- “The Measured Life,” Technology Review. 2011.
- “Know Thyself: Tracking Every Facet of Life, from Sleep to Mood to Pain, 24/7/365,” Wired.
- “Wireless technologies are about to transform health care, and not a moment too soon,” IEEE Spectrum. 2011.
- “An App to Track Your Heart Pressure. Data from an implanted device can be shared with the patient, doctors, and family,” Technology Review. 2011.
- “Smart Phones Help Manage Chronic Illness.” Technology Review. 2011.