New voices at patients’ bedsides: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple
/At first it was a novelty: Hospitals began using voice assistants to allow patients to order lunch, check medication regimens, and get on-demand medical advice at home.
Apple might help bring veterans’ medical records into the modern era
/Apple is reportedly in talks with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to provide veterans access to electronic medical records on the iPhone, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Such a deal could help Apple make significant progress in its attempts to partner with more medical institutions and turn its mobile operating system into a repository for the storing and sharing of health data.
Read MoreApple, Microsoft and Google join forces to create a universal standard for braille displays→
/A substantial move for technology accessibility was made today as the non-profit USB Implementer Forum (USB-IF) announced a new standard for braille displays – underpinned by an agreement between major tech companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft. The standard will make it much easier to use braille displays across different devices
Read MorePatents hold clues about Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft plans for healthcare
/A brief look at what hospitals should know about the many hundreds of patents tech giants have filed relative to health IT.
Read MoreVision-Focused Accessibility Efforts Made by Apple, Amazon, and Others Highlighted in New Report
/A new article published last night by The Wall Street Journal takes a look into how accessibility-focused technology has the "potential to fundamentally change the mobility, employment and lifestyle of the blind and vision-impaired."
Read MoreApple Health app effort to engage consumers by sharing EHR info
/Apple’s recently announced efforts to enhance the healthcare capabilities of its iPhone Health app represent a jump-start for efforts to advance the coordination of patient care through record sharing.
Read MoreApple Unveils mHealth Integration With EMR Data Through Health App
/Apple's new iOS upgrade will enable users to collect EMR data from 12 national health systems on their iPhones and iPads. The mHealth integration gives patients an easier pathway to managing their health data.
Read MoreWith ECG Sensor, Apple May Be Adding mHealth Muscle to Its Watch
/Apple is reportedly working on an ECG sensor for the Apple Watch, a move that would give the wearable a stronger mHealth platform and possibly bridge the gap between clinical uses and consumer engagement.
Read MoreAlibaba challenges Google, Amazon with new Echo-like device
/The competition in digital speaker-assistants is getting more intense, as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. unfurled an Amazon Echo-like device and fellow Chinese internet giants Tencent and Baidu prepare to develop their own.
Read More21st Century Medicine: Where Big Tech Is Placing Bets In Healthcare
/Tech has already had a major impact on the healthcare industry in areas such as medical record systems, connected medical devices, telemedicine software, and a growing number of digital therapeutics startups that help patients manage chronic conditions at home. And over the last few years, the largest tech companies in the world have begun to bolster both internal development of healthcare products as well as their private market activity in the health sector.
Read MoreMobile technology trends to watch out for in 2017
/Like it or hate it, 2016 was a turbulent year that provided a clear message: Our phones enable fantastic and fast communication. Here are 10 predictions about mobile technology trends in 2017, counting down to the most significant change to look out for.
Read MoreThe Subtle Ways Your Digital Assistant Might Manipulate You
/TODAY WE GOOGLE for information, but in the future, we might not need to. Instead we may rely on our butler, namely the intelligent, voice-activated digital assistant on our smart phones, smart watches, or devices like Amazon’s Echo and Alphabet’s Home. Rather than searching the web, we’ll be able to ask our digital assistant how to remove the stain from our shirt. It’ll perform other perfunctory tasks, like adding groceries to our shopping list, checking the weather, sending a text, or ordering an Uber.
Read MoreHow the Apple Watch wants to be the first fitness tracker for people in wheelchairs
/It’s nearly impossible to count all of the fitness trackers on the market; there are ones tailored for hard-core runners, stylish designs pegged for women, even ones that alert you when you've been in the sun for too long. But there’s never quite been one developed specifically for those in manual wheelchairs before.
Read MoreDeveloping a Framework for Evaluating the Patient Engagement, Quality, and Safety of Mobile Health Applications
/Growing evidence suggests that health care is more efficient and effective when patients are actively engaged in their treatment. Engaged, or activated, patients collaborate with their providers, are treated with respect and dignity, receive information related to their care, and are involved in decision-making. Two separate reviews commissioned by the Institute of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that chronic disease self-management and promotion of patient engagement are essential to successful care management programs targeting patients with high needs and high costs and are associated with improved quality of life, functional autonomy, and decreased hospital use.
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