MONITORING IS NOT PREDICTING…YET
Wearable technology that tracks health markers—steps taken, sleep, heart arrhythmias—is now big business, with markets pursued by start-ups and large health companies alike. But the use of such devices may be ahead of the usefulness for predicting major health events for ill patients, such as hospital readmissions, emergency room visits, or deaths. In this literature review, the authors agree that it’s too soon to tell whether wearable technologies can actually predict health outcomes. But the authors note that several large studies involving thousands of patients demonstrate that such devices can be worn for long periods and that indicators such as inactivity may prove important to how patients do after hospital discharge. As new sensing modalities get added to wearable technology—oxygen level, blood pressure, glucose level—clinical studies need to keep testing the predictive utility of this growing mass of biological information.
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THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN HURRICANE SEASON
Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas in August of 2017, challenging the health care, well-being, and safety of Gulf Coast residents. Immigrant families felt particularly fearful that reporting property damage and losses caused by the storm would draw negative attention from authorities. This fear was heightened as Border Patrol kept checkpoints open immediately following the storm.
The Kaiser Family Foundation published survey findings on the impact of Harvey on immigrants in the Texas Gulf Coast. The figure above shows that immigrants whose homes Harvey hit reported feeling more worried about seeking help for storm-related damages than their native-born counterparts. About 34% of immigrants responded that they were very worried that reaching out for help would highlight their own or a family member’s status. Only 5% of native-born residents responded similarly. Immigrants were also less likely to have flood or home insurance, or to apply for governmental disaster assistance.
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s policies do not guarantee Disaster Unemployment Assistance to undocumented individuals. Fear of disclosing immigration status may act as a barrier to help seeking and ameliorating storm damage, and such worries may be warranted. —Sampada Nandyala, PHP Fellow
Feature image: Kaiser Family Foundation Disparities Policy, “Hurricane Harvey: The Experiences of Immigrants Living in the Texas Gulf Coast,” Bryan Wu, Liz Hamel, Mollyann Brodie, Shao-Chee Sim, and Elena Marks, Figure 6. Published: Mar 20, 2018
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