for intoxication from drugs and medication to
recommend that you take a cab.
The iPhone could even take advantage of its
accelerometer to monitor muscle dysfunction
such as shaking hands, touch precision and
time of response, which when put together
with cutting-edge data from healthcare brands,
could transform the way we monitor our health
and encourage more consumers to see a doctor
before muscular conditions deteriorate.
Apple has already promised to integrate the
iPhone with hearing aid support and a “hearing
health” section, which will no doubt have an
impact on iPhone sales amongst seniors. Half
of all over 75s have disabling hearing loss,
according to a new report from the NIH, and
hearing loss is on the rise for young people,
with Apple introducing a feature on this
year’s Apple Watch to warn against loud
music and concerts.
What’s particularly interesting about HealthKit
and the iPhone, however, is data. Making the
iPhone the central hub to our health makes
sense for consumers and being able to funnel
that data to hospitals and medical practices
around the world would create a more effective
healthcare system, allowing doctors and Apple
to warn users about potential medical issues.
Apple Health Records — which consolidates
and stores patients’ medical histories — is at
the epicenter of the company’s plan to reshape
the market. It already has a 16% penetration
in the United States. As Apple introduces new
integrations, HealthKit will become an even
more powerful tool for research and treatment;
perhaps it will soon be totally indispensable.