Re:The Apple Watch heart monitor sends too many people to th...
by Someone on Friday October 02, 2020 @03:52PM
(#24666427)
I’m not making any claim about what the Apple Watch detects, or where we are w.r.t. detecting abnormalities in heart rate/rhythm/…, but the better our measurements get, the less serious the average detected abnormality will get.
In this case, all we know is they had they had a “clinically actionable cardiovascular diagnosis”. That action might have saved lives or might have added a few healthy months to the lives of a few, at the cost of requiring 20 to undergo treatment, spend time waiting for treatment, be worried, etc.
There can be a point where the cost and risks of testing people we can’t make healthier (either because they aren’t ill or because they are, but no effective treatment exists) outweighs the gains made by treating people we can treat.
That’s what the article being discussed, IMO rightfully, tries to measure.
In this case, all we know is they had they had a “clinically actionable cardiovascular diagnosis”. That action might have saved lives or might have added a few healthy months to the lives of a few, at the cost of requiring 20 to undergo treatment, spend time waiting for treatment, be worried, etc.
There can be a point where the cost and risks of testing people we can’t make healthier (either because they aren’t ill or because they are, but no effective treatment exists) outweighs the gains made by treating people we can treat.
That’s what the article being discussed, IMO rightfully, tries to measure.