MIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Our smart phones track so many things about us like our whereabouts, our heart rate, and even our oxygen levels. A new app says it can use that info to predict when we may be getting sick. Ivanhoe has the details.
Movement means freedom to occupational therapist Mary Cunningham. She loves to walk her dog Kobi. But a life-threatening condition that causes her to develop blood clots often brings everything to a stop.
“So, I’ve been to the ICU three times, with quite the stay, like multiple days,” shared Cunningham.
A friend suggested Cunningham test out the app, SickPredict. SickPredict monitors health metrics from an iPhone, like heart rate and oxygen levels, to tell you when you may be getting sick. A “1” means you’re doing great. One night, Cunningham saw a “10”.
“But we caught it early, so I avoided the ER, which was great. And I avoided the ICU,” Cunningham said.
“Patients that can deteriorate really quickly, and their health can go so bad so quickly, having this application can definitely help us be on top of the problems earlier,” explained Alicia Rodriguez-Jorge, MD, a primary care physician.
Dr. Rodriguez-Jorge uses her wearable device to track her health and said while it doesn’t replace her, it can help get patients to her sooner. SickPredict founder and CEO Joshua Salman and his business partner developed the app with research from Stanford and Harvard.
“There are many illnesses where we are seeing success, the flu, COVID, norovirus, pulmonary or lung issues, some cardiac issues,” stated Salman.
And for patients like Cunningham, a “heads up” on her changing health can prevent hospitalization or even worse.
“I don’t have to always feel like I am a ticking time bomb,” said Cunningham.
App wearables like Fitbit and other smart watches are also being developed at major institutions like Harvard and Stanford. Researchers stress this data does not replace a doctor but can help get patients to a doctor sooner and even help them take better care of themselves.
Contributors to this news report include: Neki Mohan, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor; and Judy Reich, Videographer.
PREDICT SICKNESS: THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!
REPORT #2877
BACKGROUND: SickPredict uses its machine-learning algorithms to analyze more than 250,000 of your health and fitness metrics and provides you with a daily SickNumber to assess the likelihood of your current conditions which you can customize to be sent at the time of your choosing. The app tracks your health and fitness metrics such as active energy and heart rate variability. The developers of SickPredict were inspired to do something about health in a more proactive manner to determine if a person was getting sick before they had a temperature or symptoms.
(Source: https://sickpredictapp.com/)
THE STUDY: Over the past several years, many universities and research institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Scripps conducted studies to test wearables to monitor and track health metrics to see any signs of problems in people. It tracks your history and provides early warning indicator charts, which are updated daily and include up to 12 months of your historical data. Additional research demonstrated good results in the accuracy of predicting illness from the health data. SickPredict uses this research and calculates, in real-time your own numbers to show you any changes in your health in advance. Based on the latest research, they can now predict oncoming illness with an accuracy of 80+%. It is not perfect, but the scientific results have been conclusive in using certain data collected by wearables to proactively identify potential changes in your health.
(Source: https://sickpredictapp.com/)
NEW POSSIBILITES: The current pandemic has accelerated the need for innovation in healthcare. In fact, a recent analysis by Frost & Sullivan forecasts a 64% increase in virtual healthcare demand in 2020 alone, with a sevenfold increase projected by 2025. An Accenture study uncovered that 26% of patients would switch healthcare providers to gain access to convenient digital tools — a good indicator that offering a world-class health app is no longer a question of if, but when. Creating more telemedicine apps that help conduct patient care virtually via custom telehealth solutions, such as text, audio and video sessions but can also include virtual diagnoses facilitated by artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and machine learning. More hospital and clinic apps that make it easy for patients to book appointments. Additionally, hospitals and clinics can automate appointments, manage shifts and coordinate staff.
* For More Information, Contact:
Laurie Jennings, Public Relations
Free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
