Why Apple Watch leads the digital health evolution

The heart study is only the start

Sensors, software, and artificial intelligence will underpin the future evolution of digital healthcare, and Apple leads in all these areas putting it ahead in a rapidly growing space. That’s why it has been working on these things for years.

Health revolutions take planning

The integration of wearables and healthcare enables new frontiers in remote patient monitoring and the acceleration of innovation is driving evolution in the space.

Kevin Dang, Medical Data Analyst at GlobalData, says: “With the increasing number of smartphone users worldwide, it is not a surprise to see a rise in the popularity of mobile health apps. When coupled with wearable technology, we can expect to see continued market growth.”

[Also read: How to take an ECG or EKG on Apple Watch]

GlobalData believes interest in wearable health devices is boosting the sector, which the analysts predict will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19% to $64bn by 2024. Statistics enthusiasts will want to note that this makes for a 237% rise since 2019.

Use the Watch to protect your heart

As these technologies proliferate and become more popular, they will drive acceleration across the health industry.

“We can clearly see that the two segments that dominate global wearables revenue are hearables and smartwatches,” said Dang.

“Hearables have been around quite some time now as their main purpose is for listening to music. Smartwatches, on the other hand, have gained traction in recent years – with their abundance of built-in functions they are very versatile devices.”

Inclusion of sensors, fitness trackers, apps and various forms of health-related data means these things are both becoming more popular and also becoming more useful.

The triage: Hardware, software, sensors

However, Dang notes that Mobile health is not just the use of wearables – it encompasses other areas such as remote patient monitoring and COVID-19 testing apps.

For example, the University of Mississippi Medical Center partnered with C Spire to launch the C Spire Health smartphone app in March 2020. This holds patients in virtual waiting rooms, gives them an initial assessment and then a next day appointment at the drive-through collection site.

“Mobile health is in a very exciting stage of development. Its applications span from mainstream daily usage with wearables to specific use cases in healthcare. The possibilities are endless and the potential for growth is astounding.”

The iPhone-compatible watch shifted 7.9 million units in Q2, giving Apple 19.3% of the market. Apple holds 31.1% of the smartwatch market, says Canalys.

Sensors and software become competitive advantage

Canalys analyst, Jason Low said: “…Health tracking is the most prominent use case for smartwatches. The ability to deliver cutting-edge health-tracking features and to offer users meaningful data and actionable health insights will set winners and losers apart.”

Apple knows this and continues to introduce new sensors, software and APIs to help build its position in the business. The thinner Apple Watch Series 7 may be delayed but will maintain this tradition.

The new sensors on the device

[Also read: How to use your Apple Watch with one hand and other tips]

The next big step may be the introduction of sleep tracking, body temperature measurement and blood pressure monitoring expected in series 8 in 2022. Apple is also thought to be building a diabetes sensor for the device at some future point.

But the big glue here is software and integration. Apple’s work to link the Watch and its health app with patient record systems, research and remote patient monitoring mean it is already delivering.

This means it isn’t just manufacturing a nice to have consumer item, but is offering a tool that is already saving lives. That is precisely what makes the device such an important component to the future digital provision of healthcare, one Apple will build on.

(This is also why Apple is thought to be exploring health features for AirPods).

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