Your home is getting smarter. For almost every question you have about your health and how you manage it, there is a device that can answer it.
A smart bed monitors your sleep quality and patterns and adapts to your movements. A smart refrigerator will tell you when your milk has gone sour and if you have enough vegetables in your vegetable drawer. Portable monitors keep track of your diet, activity, blood pressure, and blood sugar and send the results to your doctor.
High-tech devices like these empower us to be more health conscious and help our doctors spot problems early, says Vivek Cherian, MD, an internal medicine doctor with the University of Maryland’s Medical System.
“Consumers taking this extra step to take responsibility for their health can hopefully lead to advances in preventive medicine as opposed to the more Western approach to treating the disease,” he says.
The digitally networked home
The smart home of the future is already available today thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT refers to the many billions of devices that connect to the internet and exchange information.
The same technology that lets you see who’s on your doorstep on your smartphone also allows your doctor to monitor your blood pressure and sugar levels and see if you’ve been exercising as often as you should. The IoT connects you to your doctor and vice versa.
Connect with your doctor
An exam done once a year will not give your doctor a complete picture of your health. “So often we have this very small window of time with our patients. If we’re lucky, it’ll be 15 to 20 minutes, ”says David G. Armstrong, MD, professor of surgery at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
For the rest of the year, your doctor will need to make sure you are taking your medication, keeping your weight and blood pressure under control, and controlling all other aspects of your health without actually seeing you. “So many of these things can now be measured very easily at home,” he says.
By remotely monitoring patients, your doctor can track your health and check the status of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease using home technologies like these:
- Blood pressure and glucose meters
- Electrocardiography (the use of an electrocardiogram or EKG) and heart rate monitors
- Pulse oximeter (to measure blood oxygen levels)
- Smart scales
- Intelligent pill dispenser
- Wearables that track diet, stress and activity
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All of this health information is streamed to your doctor’s office in real time. When these devices detect a problem, your nurse or doctor will be notified to contact you.
Some of the newer technologies go a step further. For example, there is a smart bath mat that can detect heat zones in your foot – a sign that a diabetic ulcer is starting to form. It can tell your doctor before the wound does enough damage to require amputation. “Now we can very cheaply identify and stop these skin problems before they start,” said Armstrong, director of the Center to Stream Healthcare in Place (C2SHiP).
A pendant worn around your neck can predict when you will fall and warn you and your doctor. “Instead of ‘I fell and can’t get up,’ it now says, ‘You’re going to fall and can’t get up,'” says Armstrong.
Smart appliances could soon become even smarter. The refrigerator of the future will tell you whether you are putting enough healthy food in it. Your toilet will sense whether you go too often or too little.
“You can add a layer of automation to smart devices,” said Ashish Atreja, MD, chief information and digital health officer at UC Davis Health. “We’re working on that right now.”
We’ll help you age on the spot
A great use for smart devices is to help the elderly stay safely at home instead of moving to an assisted living facility or nursing home. With remote health monitoring, doctors and family members can keep an eye on their patients or loved ones around the clock.
Not only can sensors monitor vital signs such as body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure, smart homes can also use artificial intelligence or AI to detect differences in normal patterns – for example, if you’ve skipped breakfast or aren’t getting enough sleep. Any changes will notify your family or your doctor. In the event of a medical emergency such as a heart attack or a fall, smart devices can call an ambulance.
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Smart devices can also act as drug managers. For example, your pill box can not only tell you when it is time to take your medication, it can also dispense the pills and explain how to take them. “Apps that remind patients to take their medication are invaluable, especially for older patients who are not uncommon to be prescribed more than 10 medications,” says Cherian.
Intelligent technologies can also detect changes in the environment – for example if it gets too hot in your home or if there is smoke or gas in the air.
The risks of smart home technology
With so much connectivity, there are a few privacy pitfalls.
Anytime you send sensitive health information over the internet, there is a possibility that it could fall into the wrong hands. “Obviously there is a security risk,” says aspiring technology expert Carmen Fontana. “Someone can hack into your data.”
She recommends buying technology only from reputable manufacturers that have a solid reputation for security, solid privacy policies, and technologies like encryption to protect your private health information.
On your part, it’s important to have a strong password and to stay up to date on all software updates, which usually include security updates.
Also, ask your doctor what kind of information they are collecting and how they plan to protect your safety while using smart connected devices. And remember that “you can revoke access at any time,” says Atreja.
What to think about before buying
Just like buying a car, Atreja recommends doing your due diligence before buying any smart device. Ask your doctor for recommendations and read reviews of products you might want to buy.
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Another aspect is the cost. Today, many of the technologies your doctor prescribes are covered by Medicare and some private health insurers, but when you buy a consumer product like a refrigerator or fitness tracker, you are on your own.
“It’s really important to understand what you’re getting and how you’re paying for it,” says Fontana. Do you only pay a one-time fee for the hardware or is there a monthly subscription? Does it cost you more to unlock certain features?
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Also examine whether your device integrates smoothly with the other technology platforms in your home such as Google Home or Amazon Echo. Atreja calls this the “networked care ecosystem”.
Finally, check that the device has an active social media community where users share tips for optimization and troubleshooting. “It really helps you get the most out of your device,” says Fontana.
Remember, no matter how high-tech, a smart health device cannot replace your doctor. “When an app or smart technology highlights a problem area, it’s of paramount importance to proactively communicate that information with your doctor so they can advise you accordingly,” says Cherian.
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