Consumer Electronics Pave the Way for Health and Wellness Monitoring

We encounter patients each day who are walking through life with powerful monitoring devices in their pocket or purse, or on their wrist. | Technology Corner | By Brent Fox

The early 2000s saw the mobile phone market begin to take a dramatic shift from the brick phones of the 1990s to the flip phone era and to mobile phones that integrated true computing capabilities. Mobile phones from Palm and others were significant advancements in the technological landscape. However, the mobile phone era became the smartphone revolution when Apple introduced the iPhone 1 in 2007. Introduced on January 9 and released on June 29, the iPhone is arguably one of the most important consumer-oriented tech advancements in the last 30-plus years.

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It can be argued that many aspects of today‘s smartphones contribute to their popularity for both everyday use and for use as a tool to support health and healthcare. The sheer computing capacity of these devices exceeds computers that were “cutting edge” not that many years ago. Connectivity and portability are also critical factors to their success. For consumers who want greater involvement in managing their health, these devices highlight the convergence that continues between consumer electronic devices and the healthcare space. Today’s smartphone requires no modification or specialization to become a tool to manage health and wellness — other than installing apps matching the individual’s desired health behavior.