Patients with long-term health conditions more likely to track health, study suggests

Patients with long-term health conditions are willing and able to track their own health with technology, with the trend set to grow according to a study from Lenus Health.

The study has also found an increase in trust for medical professionals and a correlation between people who use wearables and have long-term conditions – with 35-54-year-olds most likely to own a wearable, and most likely to use wearables to monitor their weight than any other demographic.

The findings suggest that 45-54-year-olds are most likely to use their wearables to manage an existing health condition (28%) while 35-44-year-olds are most likely to use their device to understand their own personal health (26%).

Over half of respondents said they were comfortable with sharing their data with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their quality of care – with 77% of 18-34% agreeing to share their data with AI.

Nobody who was surveyed disagreed with the statement that they should be told what health data about them has been collected by the NHS, though trust in GPs, nurses, surgeons and consultants surrounding the handling of data are all above 60%. Despite seeing trust in researchers seemingly rise, just under 30% would be comfortable sharing their health data with them.

The survey covered six key areas in weight, heart rate, blood pressure, physical activity, food and water intake and sleep.

Lenus surveyed over 500 adults. Full details of the results can be found here.