contador web Skip to content

VP of Apple says company wants to transform health

Recently, Apple’s vice president of health, Drª. Sumbul Desai, talked to MobiHealthNews about some of the most prominent features in the Apple Watch Series 4, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and Fall Detection. In addition, she discussed Apple’s relationship with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has released the use of these functions in the United States.

When asked about the ECG, Desai said that it is her medical nature to worry about how it will affect the health community. While customers are increasingly using the feature, doctors are still trying to figure out how to handle the data recorded by the Apple Watch.

With the popularity of the resource, she also said that the number of feedbacks positives has been “really amazing”, especially from users who found they suffer from atrial fibrillation through the ECG app. As we mentioned, these messages from Apple customers helped shape and highlight the importance of health features on the Apple Watch.

Desai also stressed the importance of the Health app, which is increasingly helping doctors to find accurate information about medical conditions, medication use and other data obtained by the Apple Watch.

As a doctor, I see patients in the emergency room and often the questions we ask are, “What kind of medication are you taking?” Now, having an area where I can see all of this is very useful. We are only at the beginning of this journey, but there is still a lot of potential and we are very excited about what we can do.

Dr. Sumbul Desai during an event at the Apple StoreDr. Sumbul Desai during an event at the Apple Store

With regard to the FDA, Desai explained that the Apple does not receive any special treatment from the agency, and that in order to obtain the release of the ECG on the Apple Watch, the American institution asked really difficult questions about the implication of the resource in society.

The doctor, who joined Apple in 2017, echoed the words of Apple CEO Tim Cook, and said that Apple is very interested in healthcare and that it will continue to do a great job in that regard for years to come. She also agreed with him when she said that Apple’s biggest impact on humanity is in the health sector and that the company is still only at the beginning of this transformation.

via 9to5Mac