UWW310 Technology & Health

The CDC is getting some help from Wikipedia as far as tracking and predicting flu outbreaks.  The algorithm that two researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, David J. McIver and John S. Brownstein, is based on the number of views of flu-related articles on Wikipedia.  This algorithm is said to have cut down the time it currently takes the CDC to track and predict flu outbreaks.  The algorithm was developed by analyzing view data from late 2007 through the middle of August 2013.  Given the number of people affected by flu year after year, I think that this article is relevant and should interest everyone.

First there was telecommuting, now there's telemedicine.  In this article, Google glass is being utilized to determine whether an in-person consult with a doctor is necessary to treat a wound by sending video and audio of patient to doctors and nurses.  While telemedicine seems like a practical way of linking up doctors with patients who really need legitimate medical consult, could we be compromising quality of care in the process?

Ginger.io is developing a mobile app for the Mood Matters Project that will help doctors better understand people who are suffering from depression.  If eligible to take part in the Mood Matters Project, the participant will answer surveys everyday in his/her smartphone that will be sent through Ginger io's mobile app.  I think this is a very interesting way to gain a bit more understanding of the behavioral patterns of depressed people in a non-clinical setting.  

This article talks about mobile meditation apps that are slowly growing in popularity despite no hard evidence of its (positive) effects.  These mobile apps have been especially helpful to those who would like to do their meditation "on-the-go."  I believe that despite these apps' immeasurable effects, if people think that it helps them reduce their overall stress level, it seems to me that they're doing more good than harm.

This news article is about the director of the MA Health Connector appearing before a congressional health panel to discuss the problems that the state's insurance website has encountered during its launch using the same vendor who worked on federal counterpart website (healthcare.gov).  For those of us who've been following the roll out of the new Healthcare Act, there has been so much focus on how much the federal government "fumbled" on the healthcare.gov website launched, seems like some of the same issues encountered on the state level were overshadowed.

This article talks about recent rumors that Apple is on the verge of releasing its very own body-monitoring app, Healthbook.  The app is designed to track things such as heart rate, weight, physical movements, and etc.  For those of us who've purchased other body-monitoring apps by third party developers on our iPhones, this new Apple-developed app provides us with another option.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple is planning on launching its very own health wearable device dubbed as the iWatch. After Nike's failed attempt at developing a wearable that would/could be fully embraced by consumers, there are reports that Nike has scrapped further plans of developing its Fuelband but instead will focus on how its own products can be integrated with the iWatch. Wearables are slowly gaining popularity and for those of us who have been waiting for a wearable that captures more metrics than the ones currently out in the market, this article confirms that there are better ones being developed.

This article talks about the FDA providing guidelines to developers of mobile apps that can potentially carry more than minimal risks for its end users. App examples provided on the article include those that can diagnose arrhythmia or mobile devices that can be utilized as an ultrasound.  I think this article would be a good read for anyone who have purchased any health/medical related up on Google Play or the iTunes store.  It's good to know that the FDA recognizes the importance of putting some regulations in place in terms of these apps knowing that some individuals have a tendency of doing self-diagnosis using these apps prior to paying their doctors a visit.  

Some very interesting innovations.

I often worry about eyesight while using technology. I don't use ear buds (I have very small ears) but have wondered how they can affect someone's hearing.

I love the idea of using a patch for diabetes testing, when I worked in elder/psychiatric care it was hard to draw blood from some patients and this patch would have made testing so much easier.

Not sure how I feel about people diagnosing themselves through their phones, but would be handy in some situations.

This does not surprise me, children as well as adults need to limit their use of technology in order to live fuller, more balanced lives.

Not sure how nutritious the food would be, but an interesting use of 3D printing technology none the less.

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