The Tech Heart-Care Movement: use technology to boost health and achieve better work performance!
AI-translated from the Chinese original · editorially reviewed
Mental health problems in Asia are serious, directly affecting quality of life and workplace efficiency. Research indicates that people in poor mental health have a markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, underscoring the link between mental and physical health. Wearable devices show great potential in mental health management, improving the effectiveness of mental health interventions. PatientsForce's innovative home care service encourages the concept of preventive medicine, managing physical and mental health through health-measurement devices and emphasizing the importance of health management.
As many as 80% of Asian office workers have a potential mental health risk
According to the 2023 Asia Mental Health Index report, 82% of employees in Asia have a moderate-to-high mental health risk (Note 1). This not only affects individual quality of life but may also lead to a decline in workplace productivity. In fact, mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress not only threaten our mental state but are also significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The link between mental health and cardiovascular disease risk
Research from Johns Hopkins University shows (Note 2) that people in poor mental health have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study found that people who felt they had 1 to 13 days of poor mental health in the past 30 days had a 1.5 times higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without mental health problems; those who felt they had 14 to 30 days of poor mental health had a 2.3 times higher risk.
People with poor mental health usually have poor diet and sleep and also tend to combine this with an overly sedentary daily life and other less healthy behaviors, so that, without realizing it, cardiovascular disease is once again aggravated. This shows the close relationship between mental and physical health, especially how it affects the risk of cardiovascular disease, and makes it necessary for us to actively pay attention to and improve mental health.
The use of wearable devices in mental health management
Fortunately, advances in technology have provided us with new solutions. A recent study conducted jointly by Labfront, ThoughtFull, and Garmin shows that wearable devices can not only monitor data such as physical activity, sleep quality, and heart rate but, when combined with patients' subjective feedback, can significantly improve the effectiveness of mental health interventions.
Wearable-device users improved by 37% on mental health indicators, demonstrating the enormous potential of these devices for health management in daily life. They not only help improve mental health but also reduce the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease caused by poor mental health.
Promoting digital home care services
PatientsForce has developed Care Companion, an innovative digital home care service. In addition to helping patients with cardiovascular disease or the "three highs" continue the professional nursing experience of the hospital at home, it also encourages the public to practice "prevention is better than cure" in daily life. At home, patients can pair the service with health-measurement devices such as Garmin to manage their physical and mental health. Paying attention to and investing in good management of one's own health is a way of taking responsibility for oneself, one's family, and one's career, and it lets us go a step further in becoming a good partner in promoting the health of society.
Patientsforce Media-WIND Health Group Lead, April Li