The research studies keep coming fast and furious, demonstrating the benefits of mobile health technology and other Health Tech devices and systems. The studies show improved outcomes, which translate into lower long-term treatment costs and a better (and often longer) quality of life for patients.
The latest comes from a study presented at the American College of Cardiology at their annual Scientific Session in April. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic studied 80 patients eligible for cardiac rehabilitation. One group received the standard treatment that included clinical visits scheduled three times a week. The other group also received semi-weekly educational messages, videos, and articles, as well as a platform where they could record information about physical activity and diet. After 90 days, the experimental group lost an average of 9 pounds, compared with just 2 pounds for the control group. The author of the study said “We were surprised by the magnitude of difference between the two groups. These results are exciting because they demonstrate improvement in cardiovascular risk factors over and above guideline-based cardiac rehabilitation.”
As the collection of positive data continues to grow, we can expect these technologies to become more widely adopted by health insurance companies and healthcare providers, as they are the ones who stand to gain the most for these improvements. The standard practices for healthcare in the U.S. and around the world are likely to change rapidly as a result.
