A UNITED STATES EXCLUSIVE - FOR NOW
Offering technology as revolutionary as an ECG monitor has not gone unnoticed; just two days after its launch, users have already praised Apple for the new app. One took to Reddit, encouraging users to “please update to the new firmware released yesterday and take your ECG” after receiving abnormal heart rate notifications. He later visited his local doctor’s surgery and was given a Dilitiazem prescription. The post has clocked up more than four thousand upvotes, with many other Apple Watch users sharing their own stories and heart health tips.
The new ECG feature offers more precision to heart health, but it’s not the first time Apple Watch has saved a user’s life. Earlier this year, one user in the United Kingdom wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, thanking him for the company’s existing heart monitoring technology. His Apple Watch alerted him to the fact his heart was beating as fast at 161bpm, and so he visited his doctor to have further tests, prolonging his life and helping to prevent against a heart attack.
As is often the case with new technology, Apple has limited the new ECG feature to the United States for the time being. With the technology requiring so many tests, accreditations, and paperwork, Apple was no doubt keen to launch the service in its home territory before it tackled other nations - but there is hope that the service is on the way. According to a report by Patrick O’Rourke from technology blog MobileSyrup, Apple is working with Health Canada to bring the ECG functionality to the country, but
couldn’t offer a timeline just yet. Just like the FDA in the United States, Health Canada has a strict set of requirements for medical devices that are sold in the country, so Apple cannot market its Watch as a health product - or indeed offer technology that proposes to save lives - until claims are verified.
Because of the importance of the feature, and its praise from technology and health critics, Apple will no doubt want to roll out its ECG functionality as soon as it possibly can. Whilst the only country confirmed for release so far is Canada, there’s no doubting that the firm is working with authorities in other countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, too.
THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL HEALTH
Apple Watch was designed, first and foremost, to serve as an extension of the smartphone, and to enable users to monitor their fitness and keep in touch with loved ones on the go. But as the device continues to evolve, we’re seeing more and more health-related features out of the box, such as fall detection proactive health monitoring and more - and as rival brands try to increase their own market share, we’ll no doubt see increased competition in the market, and Apple up its game. Technology in the healthcare sector is becoming more and more of a hot topic, and with firms like Google and Facebook entering the mix, mass data and analysis will help to create a healthier, safer and more comfortable world for us all - but will consumers be prepared to hand over their data?
Google’s parent company Alphabet has a finger in many health initiative pies and boasts more
than 150 healthcare patents. The company has backed more than 60 health startups, like genetics testing company 23andme and health insurance provider Oscar Health, and its own companies like artificial intelligence DeepMind and Verily Life Sciences. The firm also has partnerships with the world’s biggest healthcare brands, like its collaboration with Johnson&Johnson on the new digital surgery platform, Verb Surgical.
Facebook, too has its sights on healthcare; the company was considering a data-sharing program with hospitals, with hopes to build profiles of its users that would include their medical conditions, and their social and economic factors in order to sell medical products. This project is now on hold so Facebook can focus on “other important work” such as improving the way it handles its users data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but there is no doubting work will be going on behind the scenes to announce a partnership soon.
Other companies jumping on the healthcare bandwagon include Microsoft, who in September of 2017 announced a new healthcare division in the United Kingdom, and Amazon, which is considering selling prescription drugs online after acquiring startup PillPack. The firm may even offer consumer healthcare services by launching its own virtual healthcare assistant dubbed Dr Alexa, and it’s already opening drugstores in Whole Foods chains to grab a slice of the market and gain experience in the field.
The truth is that the healthcare market in twenty years time will likely look very different from the
way things are now. Apple and tech companies will continue to innovate, launching ever more elaborate and ambitious projects, and dominant firms like Google and Amazon will play a bigger role in our day-to-day health. There’s no denying technology will make us healthier and offer more accessible healthcare for consumers, but do we want the industry to be run by the same people who provide messaging services, sell brands advertising and deliver our groceries? A monopoly on healthcare could have huge consequences, making us slaves to a couple of e-commerce giants, but only time will tell whether that will be the case.
For now, though, it makes sense to jump on the bandwagon and take advantage of truly lifechanging features like the ECG on the Apple Watch. Strap on your watch and live life to the fullest - Apple will take care of the rest!