As a UK doctor working within the contemporary longevity field, I was interested to read a recent BBC news article exploring the explosion of wearable health technology devices. Tracking personal health data is very close to my heart, as a competitive trail runner and cyclist and a self-confessed Garmin and Strava addict!
The BBC article described wearable tech, dominated by smartwatches tracking heart rate, body temperature, sleep patterns, and other biometrics as a multi-billion dollar industry. The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has recently discussed a proposal to give wearables to millions of NHS patients in England, enabling them to track symptoms at home and responses to treatment. However, many doctors remain cautious about using health data captured by such devices, with concerns about accuracy, privacy, and usability of the data.
There is certainly a wealth of data provided by modern wearable devices, but it is important to remember this is only one piece of our overall health status. Monitoring of biometrics such as heart rate, body weight, and activity levels is crucial for trend analysis and health insights but may not give direct diagnosis of disease. Perceived accuracy of the wearable data must also be kept in context.
I believe this wearable health data should be used in combination with contemporary diagnostics within radiology (MRI, CT scans) and pathology (blood testing, tissue biopsy) to facilitate early diagnosis of disease and promote preventative medicine, healthspan, and lifespan.
How can we ensure that the vast amounts of health data generated by wearables translate into meaningful action for individuals?
Rejuve.AI aims to provide immediate solutions to many of the concerns and barriers highlighted within the recent BBC article and amplify the opportunity of the wearable tech explosion. By integrating health data from wearables into a single longevity app, in combination with lifestyle metrics, blood biomarkers, and omics, we can empower individuals to make smarter decisions about their overall health.
A revolutionary, decentralized, artificial intelligence platform will turn an individual’s raw health data into personalized, actionable insights and feedback to optimize health and wellbeing. App users are awarded RJV tokens proportionally for their active participation, thereby incentivizing data contributions and allowing ownership and control of their personal health information. This unique ecosystem model aims to democratize access to valuable biomedical research, within decentralized science, and provide a catalyst to longevity for the global population.
As highlighted in the BBC article, data privacy is a central concern for patients and doctors, and there is now increased focus in this area with a rise in cybersecurity threats and recent high-profile cases of healthcare data breaches within NHS organizations. By using cutting-edge blockchain technology solutions, Rejuve.AI offers immutable, secure health data storage for users and guaranteed privacy of information.
I do not believe we are “building a society of hypochondriacs and over-monitoring our bodies”. Conversely, by leveraging cutting-edge tech solutions including artificial intelligence, and blockchain, we can now empower individuals to contribute their wearable health data securely and extend their healthspan with AI-driven, actionable personalized insights, while maintaining control over their own data.
The big data opportunity provided by a current global explosion in wearable health technology should be embraced and the future is with Rejuve.AI.