IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 57

The Doctor
Will See You
ALWAYS
Wireless technologies are about to transform
health care-and not a moment too soon

I
VIKtoR KoeN

magine a world in which your medicine cabinet
And a health-monitoring bathroom
is not science fiction. This is what health
notices that you are due for a prescription refill
care could look like within the decade,
and calls it in. A sensor implanted under your skin
at least for some. Perhaps predicting
detects a fluid buildup in your lungs and alerts your
such dramatic change within 10 years
doctor, who decides your heart medication needs
is overly optimistic. But the necessary
technologies already exist or are close at
an adjustment and contacts the pharmacist to change your
hand,
the need to reduce health care costs
dosage. Meanwhile, sensors in your toilet confirm that your
is real, and the current health care system
body has adjusted well to your other medications but sees
demands change. What's more, a ground-
indications that you may be a borderline diabetic. Your
swell of support for wireless
health care is rising from a diverse
doctor, given these readings and your family medical
history, suggests that you change your diet. Noting that b y JO SE PH group of people and organizations.
M . SM I T H These include communities of con-
fact, your bathroom scale asks you to punch in a weight-
sumers who want better ways to
loss goal and starts giving you a regular progress
manage and measure their own
update. Your medical checkup isn't an annual event-
health, like the Quantified Self move-
ment and Health 2.0, which sponsors
it happens every day, simply as you go about your daily life.
competitions to spur the development of
If such ambient monitoring and intervention strikes
new health care apps and devices. Also
you as a little creepy, think of it this way: It could avert a
on board are nonprofit organizations
heart attack, stroke, or other medical crisis. It could keep
like the West Wireless Health Institute,
in La Jolla, Calif., where I work as chief
you out of the hospital and save money for both you and
medical and science officer. We focus on
the health care system. Part of the savings would come
lowering health care costs through health
from radical changes in the management of chronic
technology innovation. The nonprofit
diseases, which in the United States eats up 75 percent of
LeadingAge Center for Aging Services
health care spending, or about US $1.9 trillion each year.
Technologies is working to improve

spectrum.ieee.org

octobEr 2011 * iEEE SpEctrum * NA

57



http://spectrum.ieee.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum October, 2011

IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - Cover1
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - Cover2
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 1
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 2
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 3
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 4
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IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 69
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 70
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 71
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 72
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 73
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 74
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 75
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 76
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 77
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 78
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 79
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 80
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 81
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 82
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 83
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - 84
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - Cover3
IEEE Spectrum October, 2011 - Cover4
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