Inside STAT: At CES, digital health gadgets gave me a detailed accounting of my flaws and failures

CROWDS ENTER THE CONVENTION CENTER ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE CES TECH SHOW. (AP PHOTO/JOHN LOCHER)

As STAT’s Megan Thielking attends the Consumer Electronics Show this week, she’s seen a new piece of technology for nearly everything, from analyzing your face for pores, wrinkles, and fatigue to smart shoes that analyze the mechanics of your jogging (Megan’s ankles don’t move too much, which is good). What’s less clear is whether many of these new devices and apps will actually improve the health of consumers. As Megan Coder, executive director of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance puts it, an app that tells you the number of steps you walked is very different than one that touts depression or diabetes treatment. “It’s really crucial that patients understand the purpose of the product they’re using and what expectations they have of the outcomes,” she says. Read more here.