U.S. Health Care Technologies
Technology has permeated every sector of the market, making services and goods faster, cheaper and mobile. Not surprisingly, advancements in technology have also increased access to health information and self-monitoring for individual consumers, as well as increased health care providers’ ability to diagnose, monitor or treat their patients remotely. A plethora of health-related technology is available on the market. This brief summary provides a snapshot of the scope of what has been developed, which may also provide insight into the current needs or demands of patients and providers. Methods: We performed a search for health technology available to consumers and health care providers. The terms health or technology, equipment, consumer, portable, top and available were entered into the Google search engine. Inclusion criteria for search results were: 1) technology was available for purchase by consumers or health care providers, and 2) technology was used to monitor, prevent, diagnose or treat health issues or to increase access to health care treatment or information. The equipment category was then further divided into: 1) equipment for health care providers, 2) equipment for consumers, 3) equipment for consumers focused on physical fitness, and 4) equipment for consumers that has yet to be publicly released. We also performed a search for health technology mobile apps that are currently available for mobile use. The terms “health apps,” “health mobile apps,” “fitness apps,” “health apps physicians,” “health apps consult physicians,” and “top mobile health apps,” were entered into the Google, Apple store and Google Play search engines. Inclusion criteria for search results were: 1) the app was available for purchase by consumers or health care providers, and 2) the app was used to monitor, prevent, diagnose, or treat health issues or to increase access to health care treatment or information. The apps category was further divided into 1) consumer self-help apps, 2) consumer self-help apps focused on physical fitness, 3) apps connecting patients directly with health care providers, and 4) apps for health care providers. Our search results presented numerous options for consumers, patients and health care providers to address a variety of health concerns and increase access to health care. The results also demonstrated a particular demand for health technology focused on physical fitness.