Wearable fitness devices like FitBit and various fitness tracking apps help people around the world get their exercise routines on track, as the software collects data based on that user and customizes a workout plan for them. But what if there was an easy way for doctors and other medical professionals to access this data to help curb obesity and prevent other diseases? That vision is exactly what Vivametrica has in mind with the launch of their new health data aggregation platform, which pulls data from smartphones and wearable fitness devices to get a big picture of health trends – with the user's consent of course.
“This would be the biggest imaginable pool of people for researchers to study,”says the company's owner Dr. Richard Hu. “It's an opportunity to create native information that is out in the wild that doesn't get biased or influenced by study parameters.” Indeed, the platform is able to collect information about what diseases and conditions people deal with as well as catalog the kinds of accidents people generally encounter.
Once this data is linked to and associated with specific demographics, medical professionals can then analyze this information for new insights on who gets sick and how. “There's a cloak of digital data around all of us,” Hu continues. “We want to take advantage of that and give people tools to better manage their lives and activities.”
The next step would be to create an end-user interface, which individuals could use to get actionable health advice to prevent common ailments among those similar in age, gender, fitness level, geographic location and much more.
Of course, collecting information off of FitBit bands and Nike Fuelband devices (among others) without permission would breach patient-doctor confidentiality. Because of this, the Vivametrica platform will always inform users if their data might be collected, and allows them to opt-out easily should the user prefer to keep their medical records to themselves.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
