If you've spent any time in the hospital, or a doctor's office, you know that healthcare is a complex network of clinicians, data information management systems, and patients.
But in the United States, the healthcare system is expensive, dysfunctional, and complicated.
The ever-growing cost of caring for patients is relatively high. In 2020 a staggering $4.1 trillion was spent on healthcare in the United States. That breaks down to about $12,530 per individual.
In 2022 Medicare premiums are expected to increase. The result is high cost, low-quality patient care, which ups the possibility of poor health outcomes.
But longitudinal healthcare offers a patient-centered perspective designed to lower expenses and complexity while giving patients the best available care.
Longitudinal Health and Fitness Trackers
In its simplest form, longitudinal health involves using electronic health records (EHR) data to create a holistic, patient-centered integrated care plan that records and tracks treatment goals and objectives. Also, a good longitudinal health care plan puts all healthcare providers on the same page regarding patient care and encourages better communication across different systems.
One way to effectively monitor changes in your health profile and boost the benefits of longitudinal health is to integrate fitness trackers. Are you among the one in five individuals in the United States who wear fitness trackers on a daily basis? If so, then you’re miles ahead of the curve.
Popular and fashionable wearables like WHOOP's fitness band and the Apple Watch collect hundreds, or even thousands, of pieces of data biometric data.
Monitoring your resting heart rate and the amount of deep restorative sleep you’ve received on any given night of the month is effortless.
Tracking Your Health
It's essential that all aspects of your health are considered in the big picture concerning your overall health, even hydration levels. As you know, everything from cognition to digestion is impacted by your ability to maintain proper hydration levels.
In his professional capacity Elia Demetris Elia, chiropractor, and owner of PEAKiropractic, a mobile chiropractic service have firsthand experience of the adverse effects of dehydration on his chiropractic patients. "One of the biggest things I've seen is muscle stiffness that can be corrected just by increasing water intake," says Elia.
The ability to adequately track and record changes in your health provides the opportunity to enhance prolonged monitoring of influencing health factors, including your hydration score. Our PÜL SmartCap utilizes metric-based daily goals and intelligent reminders.
The PÜL SmartCap is a first-of-its-kind, mobile-connected smart water cap that integrates with your iOS device and allows you to track your fluid intake quickly, easily, and efficiently throughout the day. If you choose, you can share this information with your healthcare provider to have an even better picture of your overall health.
What are the benefits of collecting data through health and wellness trackers?
From a longitudinal approach, health trackers greatly benefit healthcare providers. Physicians can use information obtained from your health tracker to assess your current health status, provide educated guesses to determine the best treatment plan, and offer suggestions and treatments for the best possible health outcomes.
The ability to track and monitor your water intake allows you to control your hydration level, one of the most critical aspects of your health. Tracking your sleep patterns, heart rate, and other health facets builds your awareness of changes in your health because even subtle changes may go unnoticed otherwise.
Are there any downsides to using fitness trackers? "The downside is that you need to take time out of your day and remember to track everything," says Elia.
Elia points out that without electronic data tracking capabilities, many people will forget or ultimately stop monitoring changes in their health altogether when or if the act of tracking is inconvenient.
Our PÜL SmartCap utilizes metric-based daily goals and intelligent reminders. Also, the PÜL SmartCap fits many wide-mouth reusable water bottles and integrates flawlessly with your iOS phone, tablet, or smartwatch device.
The PÜL SmartCap uses our SensiPÜL AI real-time tracking technology to measure your fluid consumption allowing you to track your water intake in real-time. When it comes to staying on top of your fluid intake, convenience and efficiency are a given.
Resources:
- Kaltenborn, Z., Paul, K., Kirsch, J. et al. Super fragmented: a nationally representative cross-sectional study exploring the fragmentation of inpatient care among super-utilizers. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 338 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06323-5
- Pirhonen, L., et al. The cost-effectiveness of person-centred care provided to patients with chronic heart failure and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health Policy OPEN (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpopen.2020.100005
- Fox, Maggie., Luhby, Tami. 2021, November 13. US announces big hike in Medicare premiums. CNN Health. https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/health/medicare-premium-hike/index.html
- Vogels, Emily. About one in five Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker. Pew Research Center. January 20, 2020 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/09/about-one-in-five-americans-use-a-smart-watch-or-fitness-tracker/
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed on January 8, 2022 https://go.cms.gov/3obiShh
- Demetris Elia, Chiropractor, and owner of PEAKiropractic https://www.linkedin.com/in/themobilechiropractorofdfw/ Interviewed on December 17, 2021