The consumer technology giant Apple continues to move into the health field. It has a health app on the IPHONE that can be used to track patients records and data. Its Apple Watch has a fitness tracking function. Its newest watch produces an Electrocardiagram or EKG which is normally done in the doctor’s office with up to 12 electrodes attached to various areas of your body. The Apple Watch EKG has the approval of the Food and Drug Administration and uses electrodes on the watch to take the test. The test will either give results showing your heart beats are normal or that you have atrial fibrillation and should see a doctor.
Of course the Apple Watch is quite expensive at over $300. It does many other things, serving as a watch and a phone and can get email. The EKG function is just the beginning of what are expected to be many other innovations that will allow persons to monitor their health including blood sugar and heart rates. Other screenings may be possible in the future for individuals to check for artery disease and other conditions which they then can report to a doctor.
A note of disclosure: my son Joseph works for Apple in California so I keep a close eye on what the company is doing, particularly in the health care field.
