There is no doubt that today’s quality of life and healthcare expectations especially are on at a really high level. Consumers, and patients, demand more. Technology has permeated just about every facet of our existence, and our health is no exception. We are not just talking about the hi-tech equipment hospitals use to diagnose and treat their patients, but also about healthcare technology and wellness gadgets that are available for anyone to purchase and improve their health. Chatbots, VR, and AI are just some of the latest examples of the best cutting-edge technology entering the world of medicine and healthcare IT, which are changing it for the better.
The medical technology industry has become a huge part of the healthcare sector, and the numbers tell the same story. The total value of the global medical technology industry market is about 430 billion dollars! One of the reasons why MedTech is so popular, including healthcare gadgets, is since people are more invested in their health and well-being. This goes double for millennials. It’s not that they like going to the doctor, but they are keen on making the right choice regarding their fitness and diet.
For the most part, millennials turn to online content for their research into the latest technology and gadgets, so it’s not a surprise that they are one of the main target audiences of the MedTech industry. However, since there are so many different gadgets out there, it’s hard to decide which ones are worth buying. With that in mind, we have put together a shortlist of the seven best healthcare gadgets which are likely to fulfill the needs of even the most demanding millennials.
The 7 best healthcare gadgets from 2019
In a research report by Best Essays, one of the biggest things in healthcare technology is smartwatches. Every major healthcare IT company has at least one in their product line-up. Omron HeartGuide is a smartwatch that is a little bit different than the rest. It is the world’s first smartwatch with an oscillometric blood pressure monitor, giving any patient access to accurate blood pressure data on the go. It’s not just about accuracy. This smartwatch features no wires, cuffs, hoses, or anything else seen on regular blood pressure monitors, which provides a new level of patient experience and comfort.
Due to the high level of detail regarding the patient experience, it’s no wonder that Omron has won numerous industry awards, including Engadget’s Best Wearable Award and Tom’s Guide’s Best Health Award. The most impressive thing about this smartwatch is its flexible band made out of synthetic materials, which is both capable of inflating and deflating, as well as keeping its shape afterward so that it still fits perfectly. Weighing at just 4.1 ounces, this gadget features an LCD, a Lithium-Ion battery, and many relevant sensors.
What makes Omron HeartGuide so impressive is also its ability to monitor blood pressure during the night, which can be a lot more telling in some cases. Seeing as there are more than 103 million Americans who have problems with hypertension, this little piece of healthcare technology can help save many lives through prevention and regular blood pressure monitoring. Apart from blood pressure, HeartGuide can also track your heart rate, sleep quality, as well as the number of steps you have taken during the day. Needless to say, this device can also be used as a fitness tracker. For those who prefer to view their health stats on a slightly larger screen, this smartwatch also comes with an accompanying app for your Android or iOS smartphone.
While gluten-free diets seem to be trendy at the moment, the truth is, gluten is not harmful to most people. Still, 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, which is still a huge number. Also, according to researchers, there has been a huge increase in the number of essay papers on gluten intolerance in the past few years. For some people, even trace amounts of gluten can be life-threatening, or they can cause major discomfort and this where the Nima Gluten Sensor comes in as one of the best portable gluten detection healthcare IT devices.
Nima is capable of testing both liquids and solids and any other kind of edible substance suspected of containing gluten. You take the food sample to test for gluten and place it inside a disposable capsule. After that, you screw on the lid, which grinds the food sample at the same time for more accurate results. Nima will perform an antibody-based test, similar to the one that is done in a lab. After three minutes, the device will show either a smiley face or a frown, depending on the amount of gluten inside the sample. Then you remove the capsule and replace it with another, which is pretty easy from a patient experience standpoint.
You can store test results using Nima’s mobile app, which is great for referral management when switching to another doctor, which will have a better insight into your problem. You can also become a part of Nima’s community, which gathers other people suffering from gluten-related issues. This healthcare technology gadget comes with three disposable capsules and a micro-USB cable for charging, as well as a small carrying pouch.
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, which kills over 370,000 people every year in the US alone. Many of these fatal outcomes, as well as cases in which the disease has progressed significantly, could have been prevented with regular check-ups and electrocardiogram readings, according to researchers from Essay Mama. One healthcare IT gadget that might make a difference is AliveCor KardiaMobile, a device that enables you to get a quick EKG reading at any given moment and location.
You place a fingertip on each of the two small sensors, which don’t feature any wires, and which can also be attached to the back of your phone for better convenience and patient experience. The accompanying app will record your EKG reading, and you will get an accurate result in just 30 seconds. The application itself can be used to store all the results of your EKG measurements, which can be later printed out and taken to one’s cardiologist or stored later for referral management.
Perhaps the only downside of the KardiaMobile EKG Monitor is that it’s not compatible with every smartphone out there. For the time being, you can use this healthcare IT gadget with iPhone and iPad, all of Samsung Galaxy Series, including Galaxy Note, as well Motorola G Series Gen 2, Google Pixel, LG Nexus, and Huawei Mate. All things considered, this portable EKG device is approved by the FDA and recommended by many doctors whose patients need to monitor their heart health regularly since it’s as accurate as almost any medical-grade electrocardiogram.
Although the name of this healthcare gadget is quite complicated, it is straightforward to use. Verilux CleanWave Wand relies on UV-C light to eliminate as much as 99,9% of all viruses, bacteria, and mold found on hard surfaces. It can help you protect yourself from common but dangerous pathogens such as MRSA, H1N1, and E-coli. The entire cleaning process is straightforward. All you have to do is turn on the wand and hold it between 30 and 60 seconds over the surface area, after which you will be safe to use it.
Since the wand itself is only about 10” long and pretty slim, it can easily be carried anywhere, which also means that you will be able to use it in public spaces, on an airplane, and inside your hotel room. Another benefit of this chemical-free approach to cleaning is that you can use it safely on electronic devices, such as your phone, tablet, laptop, keyboard, portable music player, etc. You can even sanitize faucets, ATMs, remote controls, and doorknobs.
The wand is especially convenient for small children and/or those with a sensitive immune system. This healthcare technology device also comes with a safety feature that turns off the UV-C light when they want it not in a horizontal position. At first glance, this is great, but it also means that you can clean upright surfaces, such as curtains, which can store a ton of germs and mold. Of course, you can still take them down and sanitize them using the wand, but it would have been much easier to clean them in their original position. Other than that, the Verilux CleanWave Wand is a device that any germaphobe should own.
Even if you are an adult, one of the most annoying things is taking your temperature while you are sick. It can get pretty time-consuming and uncomfortable, depending on what kind of thermometer you are using. However, all that is a thing of the past thank Thermo, a healthcare gadget that does not accurately take your temperature. Still, it also does so in the most non-invasive way possible, making it especially convenient for kids. The entire process takes just two seconds, during which the device will make over 4,000 separate temperature measurements from your temporal artery.
Another convenient feature of Thermo is that it scans the skin. This means that there is no contact between your skin and the device. As a result of this, you can take your child’s or patient’s temperature without stirring or waking them up, which is a whole new level of patient experience and care. All of this is possible thanks to 16 infrared sensors, which also consider the room temperature when making measurements. Once the temperature has been recorded, the device will vibrate. It can store up to 32 different temperatures, and on top of that, you can create a separate profile for each family member.
Thermo has an accompanying app that you can install on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. It connects to your phone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The app itself features a user-friendly interface, and it even guides the user. For instance, after you have entered your age and symptoms, it will use that, along with your temperature, to provide you with medical advice pulled from a different reputable medical institution, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is healthcare IT technology at its finest, and the only bad thing about it is its price, which is probably going to go down in the future.
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Darma Pro
One of the unhealthiest things some millennials do, apart from smoking and eating junk food, is sitting behind a desk all day, which results in bad posture and back problems. As we have heard, sitting is the new smoking. There are plenty of apps out there that will warn you to sit up straight or take a short walk or stretch now and then, but they don’t really work because we tend to ignore them after a while, and we end up deleting them. However, with Darma Pro, things are different since it features an app and the world’s first smart cushion, which delivers a literal kick in the —- whenever it finds you slouching behind your computer.
The Darma Pro cushion is made out of ventilated leather, and it will send a notification to your phone whenever your posture is not good, and it will also send a vibration reminding you of that. Its battery can last up to 15 days, and it comes with a USB socket and a charging cable. The power button also has an LED ring around it, which tells you whether the battery is full or if it needs to be charged. To work, this smart cushion needs weights ranging from 90 to 260 pounds.
Thanks to built-in sensors, this healthcare IT device cannot only detect when you are sitting more to the left or right but also forward and backward, as well as when you have stood up. In addition to your posture, the Darma cushion can also track your heart rate and breathing, which it then uses to determine the level of stress you are currently experiencing. The only that is possibly missing is the option of connecting the cushion to your smartwatch, so you don’t have to check your smartphone, but seeing as it interacts with you via vibrations, it’s not much of a downside.
The pace of everyday life has become incredibly fast, which inevitably leads to stress and stress-related issues. Apart from stress, another issue we deal with in today’s world is productivity. Fortunately, this next item of healthcare technology can help you tackle both, and best of all, it looks like something that came out of Minority Report or some other sci-fi movie. It’s called the Emotiv Insight, and basically, it is a piece of wearable tech that is designed to monitor your brain waves and create electroencephalograms, which are then used to create useful data that can help you reduce your stress levels, improve your focus, increase your motivation, or to relax after a long day.
Determining during which times of day you are at your most productive can help you build your schedule around that, therefore making the most out of your cognitive abilities. The same goes for those times when you want to relax or wind down. You end being more productive and relaxed at the same time, which is the best possible outcome. There is plenty of research out there that suggests that people can perform better once they are informed about all these indicators. They can even override their genetic predispositions! The device is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Conclusion
Not all healthcare technology is the same. There are plenty of devices out there which are more of a gimmick. These gadgets, innovations, however, are different. Apart from being well-designed and packed with features, they are also genuinely good at helping you improve your overall health and well-being. They can even help you prevent some serious diseases if used correctly. Since they check all the right boxes, even the most demanding millennials out there will jump at the chance to purchase them.
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