Navigating Personal Health Technology: New WebMD Series, Your Health On Tech, Gives Consumers the Information and Insights They Need

NEW YORK, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital health technologies are putting the power of personal healthcare in consumers' hands -- but they're also leaving them confused.¹  A new series, Your Health on Tech, launching today and featuring WebMD Chief Medical Officer John Whyte, MD, MPH, focuses on giving consumers the information they need to better understand the benefits, the watch-outs, and the best ways to choose which technologies are right for them.

"The digital health market is booming, but for many people the space can be overwhelming," said Dr. Whyte. "Figuring out what will work best can be daunting. Our series has been created to help viewers learn what these technologies can do, what they can't do, and how to make the best choices."   

Each 12-minute episode features interviews with digital health experts and frames the discussion around the questions most important for consumers, i.e. how to know whether the device or digital app is the right one for them, how to assess whether it will help them meet their health goals, and whether the technology is worth the investment in time and money.   

Dr. Whyte will also speak to consumers about their real-life experience using a technology and test it himself. Throughout the series, he will focus on issues of accuracy, ease of use, and how consumers should interpret the personal health data, while emphasizing the importance of discussing what they learn with their doctor.

The initial episodes explore wearables such as watches and rings, nutrition and healthy eating technologies, at-home lab tests, as well as smart clothing. They explain  how consumer health goals can guide decisions, and feature interviews with Mintu Turakhia, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of  Digital Health, Stanford; Vent Varadan, Co-founder and CEO, Nanowear; James Nichols, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University; and Ashley Koff, RD, Founder of the Better Nutrition Program.

"From apps that tell you the nutritional content of the food on your plate, to high-tech mattresses and watches, and rings that measure sleep quality, digital health has the potential to give consumers more control over their health and well-being," said Dr. Whyte. "We designed our series to help them harness that power in ways that work for them." 

Click here to view the series:  https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/toc-health-on-tech

WebMD, an Internet Brands company, is at the heart of the digital health revolution that is transforming the healthcare experience for consumers, patients, healthcare professionals, employers, health plans and health systems. Through public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications, WebMD delivers leading-edge content and digital services that enable and improve decision-making, support and motivate health actions, streamline and simplify the healthcare journey, and improve patient care.

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1. Cohen AB, Mathews SC, Dorsey ER, et al. Direct-to-consumer digital health. The Lancet Digital Health. 2020; 2: E163-E165. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30057-1

SOURCE WebMD Health Corp.