New Apple Watch app helps manage epilepsy by tracking seizures and possible triggers
What healthcare providers can learn from technology that monitors epilepsy patients
Let’s face it, millennials are searching for new ways to take care of their health without having to take a trip to the doctor’s.
According to a recent SalesForce study, 71% of millennials are interested in a mobile app that can actively manage their well-being for preventive care, review health records and schedule appointments. Similarly, 73% of millennials are interested in using mobile devices during doctor appointments to share information.
Some healthcare providers are jumping on board with this idea and taking it a step further.
Experts at John Hopkins’ Epilepsy Center teamed up with Apple Watch to create EpiWatch an application that helps manage epilepsy by tracking seizures and possible triggers, medications and side effects.
It allows users to send messages to family members or caregivers to let them know when they are having a seizure. EpiWatch also includes an interactive “game” that will measure the impact of a seizure and a patient’s responsiveness. Doctors can access all this information if users allow.
When signing up for EpiWatch, users are also agreeing to take part in a study. All data stored in the app is shared with researchers at Johns Hopkins, so they can better understand epilepsy and hopefully improve treatment.
Their ultimate goal is to find out whether they can produce an app that can detect when someone is about to have a seizure, estimate their duration and contact caregivers on the spot. The benefit of this type of technology is two fold. Not only will it alert caregivers when their family member is in distress, it also will aid neuroscientists in better understanding epilepsy.
We believe other healthcare providers can learn from this model, and create their own app that better manages communication between doctors and patients.