As part of its rollout to its iOS and Android apps, Fitbit today added blood glucose tracking. This is a significant update since the company became part of Google’s hardware division at the start of the year. There are also a few minor changes to Fitbit Sense’s hardware, including the addition of an ECG function. Now, Fitbit partners with LifeScan to connect its health tracking applications with the firm’s glucose monitoring devices. The aim is to help people with diabetes manage their condition.
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The partnership
According to Fitbit officials, over the multi-year partnership, individuals with diabetes will gain various tools and information. These will provide a holistic picture of how lifestyle variables like exercise, diet, and sleep may affect blood sugar levels.
Diabetes is one of the most common health challenges of the 21st century, according to Elizabeth Holt, M.D., head of global medical, clinical, and safety at LifeScan. She continued to say that taking care of diabetes effectively requires people to have a convenient means of tracking their diet, activity, weight, and glucose.
The future of healthcare delivery is defined by best practices, which is why top companies use a platform strategy.
She said, “Connecting OneTouch blood glucose monitoring data with Fitbit wellness tools and insights is a significant step in directing patients to good lifestyle choices that support improved health outcomes.”
Other partnerships
In partnership with the weight loss application Noom, LifeScan, which manufactures diabetes devices for over 20m people, will help diabetes patients with behavioral changes. This will certainly help manage blood sugar levels and weight.
Patients with diabetes will be able to use the OneTouch Reveal app, which includes glucose monitoring. Furthermore, it has the ability to connect individuals to healthcare professionals, thanks to a collaboration with Fitbit. Furthermore, participants will get a Fitbit Inspire 2 watch and Fitbit Premium access. This includes hundreds of exercises, guided programs, and customized insights in the Fitbit health metrics dashboard.
In short, these programs assist people with diabetes in moving more, managing stress, sleeping better, and eating properly.
People will also be able to connect their OneTouch Reveal and Fitbit applications. This will allow them to see OneTouch blood glucose data alongside Fitbit measurements. Providing them with the option to access their information across both apps, according to the businesses.
In a statement, Amy McDonough, managing director and general manager of Fitbit Health Solutions at Google, said, “Our goal is to develop a tool that both consumers and healthcare providers can use to inspire behavior change, provide a more comprehensive picture of health and wellness between appointments, and ultimately to help prevent disease.”
Outlook
By early 2022, healthcare providers and payers will have access to the service as a reimbursed adjudication option. This launches in the United States during fall 2021.
In a statement, LifeScan president and CEO Val Asbury stated, “The combination of OneTouch and Fitbit services will assist patients with objectives. Whether it’s keeping their blood sugar under control, becoming more active, or eating better.”
CDPC estimates that between 33 and 50 percent of people with diabetes experience distress about their health. Including overwhelming feelings that may lead them to refuse to monitor blood sugars or miss appointments with healthcare providers.
A recent clinical study of diabetic intervention programs in Taiwan shows that having Fitbits may result in even greater reductions in fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, and LDL cholesterol.
Fitbit, which Google bought in January, has been pushing its wearables into healthcare. They have done this by presenting them as gadgets that can assist in monitoring medical problems, for example, abnormal heart rhythms.
As it prepares to compete with heartbeat-tracking and ECG-enabled consumer wearables like the Apple Watch, Fitbit’s latest smartwatch received medical device clearances in the United States and Europe in September. Allowing it to fully utilize its ECG app to help identify cases of the irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation.
The firm has also recently utilized Fitbit data to investigate how COVID-19 infection affects exercise, sleep, and resting heart rate.
Other brands
Since Amazon introduced the Amazon Halo fitness tracker last year, the $52 billion health wearables industry has exploded. Amazon’s wearable includes familiar functions like activity and sleep monitoring. But it also has some novel ones. These include tools to assess body fat and voice tone as a gauge of general health.
Withings, a French firm best known for its linked consumer health gadgets, has been expanding its healthcare offerings. The firm has introduced medical-grade capabilities to common home goods like watches, scales, and beds during the last decade.
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