I shared this YouTube video with my students as a current events topic in Anatomy and Physiology. This is a clip from NBC’s Rock Center on Jan 23, 2013.

Dr. Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and Chief Academic Officer of San Diego-based Scripps Health, believes the digital revolution will change the future of medicine. It’s amazing the apps he showcased in the video: portable EKG, blood glucose monitor, etc.

My students were so impressed by the gadgets from the video. It really stimulated a lot of discussion in class about how these devices might work and how it could be beneficial for the patients. We also wondered if too much information maybe bad.

I also shared with my students my own experience with wearable technologies:

• Fitbit – I wear my Fitbit Zip everyday to track my steps and calories burned. It syncs wirelessly via Bluetooth with my iPhone. And by linking my nutrition log on MyFitnessPal, I am able to see my calories in/out on a daily basis as well as over a period of time on the Fitbit website.
  

• Digifit – I use this app (available on iPhone and Android) along with the Polar Bluetooth heart rate monitor to track my heart rate during my workouts. The added bonus is it also syncs with my Fitbit data for a seamless fitness ecosystem.

I am a gadget junkie and I use these devices to motivate me to be more active while encouraging a healthy lifestyle. I have been using the above devices for about 6 months and I love them!

The iPhone just celebrated its 6th birthday this year. And it’s amazing how much wireless technology along with internet connected devices (via iOS apps) have skyrocketed in recent years. I do agree with Dr. Topol that this digital revolution will change not only the field of medicine, but our daily lives.