Doctors have started ‘prescribing’ smartwatches to patients, thanks to their life-saving capabilities- Technology News, Firstpost

FP StaffOct 26, 2022 17:16:04 IST

There have been numerous instances where smartwatches have saved the lives of people using them regularly. Now a number of doctors in the US have started prescribing smartwatches such as those coming from Fitbit, Samsung, Apple and Google for the life-saving technologies that they come loaded with.

A case in point would Dr. Thomas Ficho. Dr Ficho himself met with an accident after he fell down a basement, and lost consciousness. At that time, he was wearing his Apple Watch Series 5. After the fall, the Apple Watch’s fall detection feature kicked in and called emergency services on Dr. Ficho’s behalf. Although Dr Ficho regained consciousness within minutes, the Apple Watch had alerted local emergency services who had already dispatched emergency responders to Dr Ficho’s location, who reached him, right as he came to his senses.

Good smartwatches often come loaded with features that can act on your behalf and save your life, by getting you help in the nick of time. Google and Apple’s crash detection, for example, has proven to be a must-have if you indulge in dangerous activities or are required to frequent a stretch of road that happens to be an accident blackspot.

Just like Apple, most smartwatch makers have a fall detection feature that can literally save your life. In April this year, a 60-65-year-old woman in Delaware fell down in her bathroom and broke her back. She was wearing a smartwatch from Samsung, but because she couldn’t move she couldn’t call for help. Luckily for her, the smartwatch sent out an SOS alert to one of her emergency contacts, who then asked the emergency services to visit the woman.

Smartwatches have proven to be great diagnostician tools as well. Doctors are increasingly relying on the data from smartwatches to monitor their patients’ cardiac activity. Most smartwatches come with a basic heart rate monitor, but there are a few out there which give you a very accurate and detailed reading. This not only helps doctors determine whether their patients have any sort an Arrhythmia and if yes, what exactly may be the problem. 

We recently saw the story of a 12-year-old girl, who was able to detect that she had a rare form of cancer, because her smartwatch consistently gave out heart rate alerts that were off the charts. Such cases are not uncommon.

Smartwatches can also help you with your sleeping disorders. While most smartwatches cannot diagnose what exact sleeping ailment a patient is suffering from, they can help record and track changes in the sleeping pattern of their wearers.

Given that there are a ton of smartwatches out there, do keep in mind the features that you may be needing, while you shop around for one. Also, it would be better to remember that certain manufacturers oversell their features. These are not exactly smartwatches but oversized fitness bands and should be avoided. As far as smartwatches are concerned, go for something from a known and reputable brand.