Monitor me.

Kevin Fong explores the boom in health-related apps and gadgets which promise to help us live longer, healthier lives. Fong accompanies London’s Air Ambulance crew to the scene of an emergency. The crew use an advanced portable monitoring unit to keep track of a patient’s vital signs en route to the hospital. Self-monitoring devices are now widely available, but what impact are these likely to have on medicine? Blaine Price from the Open University demonstrates a range of commercial products from pedometers to pulse oximeters. The technology is so advanced that it equals that of medical instruments from the 1990s. The pair then meet three volunteers – Pam, Cathy and Celia – who, together with Fong, have agreed to measure their step count and sleep patterns for the programme. Brett Davison, Head of Physical Performance for the England Rugby 7s team demonstrates the advanced monitoring equipment he uses to pick up on players’ injuries while they train. Brett can even predict illnesses before symptoms appear. The volunteers report on their progress; all three were surprised to discover they were less active than expected and have started to exercise more. Fong claims using the pedometer has made him more competitive. He visits Dr Eric Topol of Scripps Health who demonstrates monitors designed to work with mobile technology for home use, including a heart monitor and noninvasive glucometer. Topol views such devices as revolutionary because information is sent directly to the patient rather than being relayed via the doctor. This type of 24/7 monitoring may also help prevent diseases from developing or worsening. Professor Larry Smarr has been dubbed the ‘most monitored man in the world’. He regularly measures his own weight, steps, sleep, urine, saliva, blood, and even stools. By mapping the data against healthy limits he was able to self-diagnose a life threatening disease. Fong then visits MIT’s Media Lab where Alex Pentland analyses Fong’s socialisation, focus and activity levels, gleaned from a mobile phone app. Amazingly, the app can detect the onset of flu with 80% accuracy, so could potentially be used to track the spread of pandemics. The volunteers reconvene with Fong and Price to find out their results. There were some interesting discoveries; Cathy found that drinking halved her amount of deep sleep. Each of them pushed themselves to achieve the goal of 10,000 steps. This then, is perhaps the most important role of self-monitoring; encouraging healthy changes in behaviour.