By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress management for healthcare workers
    3 Tips For Healthcare Professionals: How To Stay Beautiful, Healthy, and Happy
    November 2, 2021
    importance of relaxing on the weekend for your health
    Importance of Relaxing During the Weekend for Optimal Health
    March 25, 2022
    LASIK Eye Surgery
    What Is LASIK Eye Surgery?
    May 16, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    You Probably Thought the Public Option Was Dead
    June 1, 2011
    Employers as Doctors
    July 9, 2011
    Pushback On My Medicare Proposals
    August 12, 2011
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The Dawn of the Worried Well
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > The Dawn of the Worried Well
eHealthMobile HealthWellness

The Dawn of the Worried Well

David Davidovic
David Davidovic
Share
4 Min Read
Image
SHARE

 Image

David Davidovic

 Image

David Davidovic

More Read

HIPAA-compliance-can-be-simplified-with-HIPAAReady
Critical Measures for Stopping Terrifying Hospital Data Breaches
Fish Oil May Help Boost Immunity
6 Technologies Changing Healthcare for Mobility-Constrained Seniors
Dr. Oz Claims Acupuncture Can Be Great for Weight Loss
The role of secure mobile messaging in healthcare

(Editor’s note: This exclusive post is from our latest member of the HealthWorks Collective Advisory Board, Mr David Davidovic.  David has held leadership postions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations for over 33 years.  He is currently Founder and President of PathForward, providing advisory and management support to healthcare ventures.  We heartily thank David for this thought-provoking post)

Many people who are generally healthy tend to overly worry about their health.  At the most extreme, clinically hypochondriac state, people believe they are ill when they are not.

These days we are seeing similar behaviors not quite in the same vein, but not too far either.  People who are generally healthy but who worry, and sometimes obsess, about maintaining their health status.  Not that they are ill, but that they are worried about becoming ill.  These are the “Worried Well”.Image

Mobile health, wearables, fitness monitors, genomic tests, health trackers, etc. etc. are enjoying great interest and early adoption among the Worried Well.  Of course, the benefits and promises of these tools are exciting and really valuable in our quest to improve health; many articles have been written here in Healthworks Collective and elsewhere about the exciting possibilities. 

I have very healthy friends who wear both a Fitbit AND a Jawbone UP, and if they could they would also wear a Nike Fuel band.   Other friends use not one but two heart monitors and displays during exercise.  Someone else I know, without any heart health history, is ready to buy an EKG sensor and app.  I just counted the number of health apps on my iphone – found 34 of them, some of them I don’t even remember what they do.   A large proportion of new ventures coming out of start-up accelerators are in this same space and we’ll continue to see their proliferation.  The big question is:  Are these devices, applications and services reaching and being adopted by those who truly need them?

We all have a parent or an aunt or a neighbor who is constantly talking about his or her health and visiting doctors for what we would call “just in case” reasons.  Arguably, these are drains on our already stretched healthcare system.  One could also argue that the new devices and tools make self-monitoring even easier and more frequent, resulting in people having more practical and quantified signals driving them to seek medical opinions.  Are we building a potential tsunami with hundreds of thousands of people watching their body functions 24/7 with great anticipation that there will be a deviation or red alert, ready to make that doctor visit?

These points do not take away from the many valuable benefits and promises of these innovations.  However,we have a collective need and obligation to drive their use to those who truly need them, otherwise they may become just gimmicks and fade away when the interest among early adopters fades away.  This is not an easy thing to do, as evidenced by the difficulty with medical advice or treatment compliance among many health populations.  To get there, it is valuable to understand what are the drivers and motivations among all users; understanding these behaviors is only one element towards driving adoption and and utilization by those who need them most and for the right reasons. 

image: self-monitor/shutterstock

Learn more about this topic and participate in a live Q&A about self-monitoring at our upcoming webinar
Image

 

TAGGED:mHealthworried well
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Hospital Digital Marketing, Online Marketing, Medical Marketing
BusinesseHealthFinance

5 Reasons Hospital Marketing Will Benefit by Devising Digital Plans

March 12, 2014

Video: Why Everyone in Your Practice Needs Basic Medical Coding Training

November 23, 2011
Image
eHealth

The Trouble with Physician Email

August 30, 2013
alzheimer's stress
GeriatricsSpecialtiesWellness

Stress and Alzheimer’s: Increased Risk

April 30, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?