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42% of US households with broadband internet now own at least one health-related device

Connected health in the home is on the rise. (Source: Parks Associates)
Connected health in the home is on the rise. (Source: Parks Associates)
Connected health devices are electronics that can provide links to organizations such as the Mayo Clinic or Electronic Caregiver so as to help monitor or even treat a patient in their own home. A new survey indicates that their adoption and use among US residents is growing. This is likely to be related to the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic and general trends in medical tech and its use.

Connected health is a term referring to the concept of medical personnel or caregivers using electronics to remotely monitor a patient in their own home. The devices in question are getting more diverse, versatile and smart as time goes on. Their category encompasses devices like smart thermometers, wireless CPAP machine and clinical-grade wearables of various kinds.

On that note, connected health may also come to benefit from smartwatches or smart bands that boast increasingly accurate, "medical-grade" health- and fitness-tracking sensors as selling points. Devices such as these are of more interest to consumers as a result. A recent study of US high-speed internet households found that 28% of the respondents owned at least 1 wearable for connected health, whereas 42% had a connected-health device of any description.

This survey also resulted in findings that connected fitness machines are also getting more popular, as is "smart sleep" and dedicated connected medical tech. This may be due to a general shift in preferences toward health- and fitness-monitoring that can be done at home, not to mention actual care that also does not entail moving to a medical facility.

The trend may have been driven by widespread changes in medical treatment practices and policies mandated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Dedicated companies such as Electronic Caregiver may find that customers are now more accepting of a smart "health home" that relates to current consumer-grade offerings.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 09 > 42% of US households with broadband internet now own at least one health-related device
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2020-09-15 (Update: 2020-09-15)