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A number of doctors aren't so sure about the benefits of wearables eithers. A recent MIT Technology Review story found doctors from a number of specialities unsure about what to do with the data many of their fitness-tracking patients are bringing them."Clinicians can't do a lot with the number of steps you've taken in a day," Neil Sehgal, a senior research scientist at UCSF Center for Digital Health Innovation said. Andrew Trister, an oncologist and researcher at Sage Bionetworks echoed this sentiment. "[Patients] come in with these very large Excel spreadsheets, with all this information," he said. "I have no idea what to do with that."
One of the short-term problems for trackers is that their [sic] not actually reliable enough to be medically useful. The sorts of measurements that devices cheap enough to be commercial products tend only to focus on vague metrics that could just as easily be inferred from a short interview or basic examination. While certain health trackers have shown promise—such as the small implants that manage insulin for diabetics—they can also produce a hyper-vigilance and paranoia, leading to a degenerative process of over-managing issues that a person's body is already handling.
Are there Soylentils that do use fitness trackers regularly? Do they help you manage your health?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by slinches on Wednesday December 02 2015, @01:47PM
Do consumers think that fitness trackers are for medical data collection? I thought they were just a way to remind yourself to exercise. Kinda like a string tied to your finger that blinks when you're slacking on your workout routine.
(Score: 2) by Knowledge Troll on Wednesday December 02 2015, @02:10PM
Do consumers think that fitness trackers are for medical data collection?
It would appear that enough do it that that both it is in the news and also you have made a comment on a discussion website about the same topic. I am pretty sure though that fitness trackers are primarily a way to advertise themselves on Facebook under the guise of showing your friends how healthy you are.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday December 02 2015, @02:47PM
Just because someone is "reporting" on it does not mean it is not a made up.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 02 2015, @05:18PM
True, but it is a pretty good indication. A lot of journalists are really bad about understanding anything at all. That includes grammar and spelling, both of which are supposed to be important parts of their jobs.
(Score: 2) by physicsmajor on Wednesday December 02 2015, @02:11PM
This is exactly the truth. Fitness trackers are useful a way to gamify your health, not as a way to rigorously/scientifically collect data. When and how much you exercise/sleep is useful to you; a badly measured heart rate is without value to anyone.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 02 2015, @02:24PM
> This is exactly the truth. Fitness trackers are useful a way to gamify your health, not as a way to rigorously/scientifically collect data.
More like the truth is somewhere between those two extremes and as the tools improve the medical value of the collected data will improve too.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Wednesday December 02 2015, @03:03PM
My coworker had a "heart episode" (pains similar to an attack, but no real evidence in the hospital of anything wrong beyond high cholesterol). His doctor actually prescribed him a fit bit. I suspect the doctor doesn't actually look at the data, but it does help my coworker maintain a level of activity every day.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday December 03 2015, @12:03AM
I thought they were just a way to remind yourself to exercise.
That's what I thought too, so I installed an app on my phone which counts steps every day. As I walk about 4 KMs a day during the week it nags me like hell in the weekend when I'm sitting on my arse watching TV and drinking beer.
Makes me feel guilty, which I guess is the point.