GENE ONLINE|News &
Opinion
Blog

2020-09-19| Technology

Can Your Smartwatch Help You Manage Asthma Better?

by Sahana Shankar
Share To

The future of healthcare is precision medicine which combines patient clinical data, analytics and data science. Huge strides have been made in collecting critical information from patients to provide them with personalized and well-suited treatment options for diseases such as cancer.

By Sahana Shankar, Ph.D. Candidate

The latest development is a virtual study by the University of California, Irvine (UCI), in collaboration with Apple Inc and Anthem Inc to understand how wearable tech like Apple Watch could be leveraged to help asthma patients to monitor and improve their clinical conditions.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects nearly 25 million people in America. Self-management is critical, with no cure available since uncontrolled situations can lead to permanent lung damage and premature death. Asthma has different symptoms and triggers. Hence there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach for self-management. Several articles have made a case for a practical and evidence-based approach for supported self-management.

Anthem Inc announced a virtual study on September 16, 2020, which will enroll asthma patients in a two-year randomized control trial to test how patient information such as activity, heart rate, blood oxygen levels can help them make informed decisions to manage asthma. Each participant will receive an Apple Watch and a Beddit Sleep Monitor to track their health metrics. CareEvolution, a healthcare-based technology company, has designed the digital study app to collect the data. Through the app, participants’ data will be collected and they will receive regular notifications and curated medical advice based on daily symptoms and trigger tracking. Since the app contains a wide range of patient data, it can nudge participants to reduce risks and improve their symptoms by effective self-management.

Related Article: Google to Acquire Wearable Device Pioneer to Boost Healthcare Plans

This innovative and collaborative virtual study’s main goal is to examine how clinical outcomes for asthma can be improved by patients themselves, using digital tools. It will also help in our understanding of how wearable tech devices can help predict and mitigate risks, which could mean that they can be designed to serve as digital biomarkers for asthma control.

Rajeev Ronanki, Chief Digital Officer at Anthem, Inc said, ‘we are making it easier for consumers to proactively manage their health through our digital-first approach to delivering healthcare solutions and services.” Apple’s Head of Health Strategic Initiatives, Myoung Cha hopes “this study can help the medical community produce new insights about asthma control and can identify effective digital tools that can help empower people around the world to better manage their condition.”

Dr. Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs at UCI noted the significance of using patient data to make better choices. He said, “Personalized medicine and improving the health of populations are based on similar principles. The human body contains critical information – data – necessary to diagnose and treat our patients. Through innovation and emerging technologies, we are able to harness that data, and by coupling it with an individual’s environment and experiences, chart pathways to lifelong health and well-being.”

Related Article: Japan Trials Asthma Drug Alvesco to fight COVID-19

References:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200916005283/en/Anthem-Announces-Research-Study-with-Apple-Watch-to-Help-Improve-Asthma-Management

 

 

©www.geneonline.com All rights reserved. Collaborate with us: [email protected]
Related Post
2024 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard Highlights 9.8% Increase in R&D Spending
2024-12-30
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2: First Ever FDA-approved OTC Hearing Aid Technology
2024-09-20
China Approves AstraZeneca’s Fasenra for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma
2024-08-21
LATEST
AACR Annual Meeting 2025: Cancer Research Innovations, NIH Funding Advocacy, and AI-Driven Advances
2025-04-28
Senti Biosciences to Showcase New Cell & GeneTherapy Data at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
2025-04-27
World Vaccine Congress Washington 2025 Recap: Urgent Calls for Trust, Tech, and Global Access
2025-04-25
Astellas’ Transformation Journey: From Merger to Global Player, Betting on the Edge of Innovation and Risk?
2025-04-25
Roche Announces Massive 50 Billion Dollar Investment in the United States
2025-04-25
Steminent Stands Ready to Showcase Novel MSC-based Therapy for Spinocerebellar Ataxia at Global Stage
2025-04-24
Arkansas Medicaid Work Requirements Led to Coverage Loss for a Significant Number of Recipients
2025-04-24
EVENT
2025-04-25
AACR Annual Meeting 2025
Chicago, U.S.A
2025-05-03
29th Taiwan Joint Cancer Conference 2025
Taipei, Taiwan
2025-05-05
Swiss Biotech Day 2025
Basel, Switzerland
2025-05-13
ASGCT 28th Annual Meeting 2025
New Orleans, U.S.A.
2025-05-30
ASCO Annual Meeting 2025
Chicago, U.S.A
2025-06-11
ISSCR 2025 Annual Meeting
Hong Kong
Scroll to Top