Keeping track of your health information is time-consuming and confusing. How are you supposed to know if you can have that extra cup of coffee or how long you should work out each day? Every person is different, so the answer to those questions are different, depending on certain factors, including your genetic makeup.
Well, now, IBM is teaming up with biotechnology firm Pathway Genomics, for a mobile app that uses your DNA to give you health advice and keep you healthy.
"For anybody concerned about health, diet and fitness, these are truly amazing times. There's a superabundance of health and fitness information published online," writes Michael Nova, M.D., of Pathway Genomics. "We're able to tap into our electronic health records, we can measure just about everything we do physically, and, thanks to the plummeting price of gene sequencing, we can map our complete genomes for as little as $3000 and get readings on smaller chunks of genomic data for less than $100."
However, the abundance of data about our health and health concerns creates a problem: how do we manage it all? That's where Watson comes in. Watson's cognitive computing abilities sort through all that data and finds exactly what you need based on your medical history and genetic information.
Watson's language processing abilities also help, by decoding some of the more technical data and delivering it to you in terms you understand.
Although Pathway Genomics does genomic tests for finding serious conditions, such as cancer, the company also tests for general health conditions concerned with weight, mental health and medications. With the help of Watson, the mobile app will personalize medical information for everyone that uses it.
And, if for some reason, you need to see a doctor, the app will also let you plug your insurance information into it and help you find healthcare providers covered by your plan. It can even make appointments for you and give you an estimate of what your visit will cost.
The app also works with other wearable devices that monitor health, such as FitBit.
"The medical industry is undergoing a dramatic and systemic change, giving consumers and their physicians a powerful tool built upon cognitive learning and Watson will make the change even more transformative," says Nova. "IBM is viewed worldwide as forward thinking pioneers in the development of electronic knowledge, and also sets gold standard in the industry for the delivery of that knowledge."
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