A recent study discovered that people walk an extra mile every day if they have an activity tracker on their phones or watches. The study compared studies that tracked exercise activity among those with and without fitness tracking apps. Of the 7,454 people in the study, researchers found that people who were keeping track of their steps were more likely to walk 1,850 more steps each day. Authors of the study suggested that doctors prescribe apps or trackers for patients who want to become more fit. Penn doctors recommend people to use smartphones because everyone is so connected to them,…

Recent studies have demonstrated that a wearable fitness tracker or smartphone app can motivate you to exercise more and be committed. Healthcare practitioners should trust in recommending fitness trackers and apps to their patients who want to become more physically active. Since applications and trackers provide feedback and accountability, it tends to boost results. “These findings are important and show promise for using these technologies to improve physical activity,” says Mitesh S. Patel, MD, an associate professor of medicine and healthcare management at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and director…

By X. Shirley Chen and Mitesh S. Patel for Harvard Business Review How can health systems implement digital technology as part of their strategy and approach in creating effective behavior interventions? A look at other industries marks a distinguishable pattern: behavioral phenotypes. Companies such as Google or Amazon track individual attributes such as behavior or preferences in order to customize information and design a better, individualized experience. Mitesh Patel and X. Shirley Chen had members of their group conduct a series of studies to demonstrate how behavioral phenotyping could make digital health solutions more effective. The study utilized latent class…