Come with me. Imagine you rush to the emergency room, but after five hours, they tell you to find another hospital. Or you check in at your specialist’s office for a chronic condition, only to find they’ve lost your entire medical history. Both of these scenarios just happened.
Yesterday’s cyberattack on one of the largest health systems in the U.S., Ascension, was bad — really bad. Before you say, “Another data breach? So what, Kim?” know that having your records sold on the dark web is the least of your worries.
The hack on Ascension sent its 140 hospitals and 40 senior facilities into full-blown chaos. It took down patient record systems and medication prescribing systems, forcing doctors and nurses to rely on paper charts and handwritten records to keep things running.
One patient, Zackery Lopez, checked himself in at an Ascension-run hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He was suffering from internal bleeding and thinking his cancer had returned. Zackery waited a grueling seven hours before a nurse could help him. As he waited, he saw patients checking themselves out.
When hospital systems get hacked, it’s a matter of life and death. And it’s happening more and more often. Keeping physical records sounds old-school, but if digital systems go down, it could save your life.
I also recommend compiling your full medical records and having a printed copy on hand. If you have an iPhone, you can sync them to your Health app:
Your phone is always with you and can be a lifeline in an emergency. By activating your iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature, you can call local emergency services and update your chosen contacts when needed.
With Apple’s latest iPhone models, you can connect with emergency services even when you don’t have a signal. Here’s how to set up and use the emergency features on your iPhone.
😴 Enable this on your Apple Watch: Sleep apnea is seriously dangerous, and the Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2 can spot the signs. Open the Health app on your iPhone, search for “breathing disturbances,” then tap Set up. Follow the directions on screen and you’re good to go.
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If you tend to forget your medications, we’ve got the tech tip for you. You can set up medication reminders on your iPhone. This way, you can get scheduled reminders so you never forget.
Keep reading to learn how to use your iPhone to set up medication reminders. It’s good for your wallet and your health.
I was a Boy Scouts leader (long story), so I know you always need to be prepared.
On your smartphone, the right apps can make a world of difference. Here are the essentials you need in an emergency.
You are connected to everything and everywhere between your smartphone, smartwatch, laptop and tablet. Tap or click here for 10 handy tech tips you’ll use over and over.
This can be an absolute lifesaver if you forget something or need access to the internet, but what if you need complete silence and someone is trying to get in touch with you? Loud notifications might suddenly attack you in every direction if you have multiple gadgets.
Last year, a runner’s Apple Watch detected a hard fall and sent notifications to his emergency contacts. Similarly, a mountain biker in Washington state crashed his bike, and his Apple Watch sent out destress notifications.
Imagine someone following every step you take, furiously noting everything you do in a notebook. Pretty creepy, right? Well, that’s pretty much what your smartphone does — but because our iPhones and Androids are so useful, we rarely think about how they keep track of us.
Microsoft’s Windows operating system is the most widely used when it comes to personal computers. That love hasn’t necessarily extended to the recent release of Windows 11, though. Tap or click here to see why Windows 11 computers are filled with empty folders.
When it comes to Apple, pretty much any news will make the news. You can be sure that anything new coming out of Cupertino will make headlines from devices to software.
iOS 15 launched last month alongside the latest family of iPhones. The new OS comes with more privacy and productivity features, FaceTime tools, camera upgrades and sharing options, to name a few. Tap or click here for details.
Smartwatches and mobile phones are packed with health features that can keep track of your vital signs. Just having your phone in your pocket, the device can track how much you walked in a day or the number of stairs you climbed. Tap or click here to enable and use the health features on your Apple Watch.
I’m not surprised anymore when I see stories of people who say the Apple Watch saved their lives. From fall detection to heart-rate monitoring, that little piece of tech can spotlight issues that could go unnoticed with fatal consequences.
Getting enough sleep each night is one of the best things you can do for your body. Your iPhone and Apple Watch can actually help you keep track of your sleep through Apple’s Health app. You can even use your gadget to do a lot more than simply keep track of your sleep.
A good thing about owning Apple products is how easy they are to keep up-to-date. Apple rarely lets security issues slide, and when they add new features, they tend to be decent for the most part.
Of course, not every new feature added by Apple recently has been a smashing success. The latest iOS update, which included contact-tracing capabilities, hasn’t had a chance to live up to the hype. The reception to apps made for the service has been mixed as well. Tap or click here to find out why.
After nearly two months of beta testing, Apple’s new iOS update is finally here. Not only does it address bug fixes and stability issues, it actually helps the iPhone adapt to your lifestyle in the age of COVID-19.
For one, now your iPhone will be able to open much more quickly if you’re wearing a mask. But more importantly, it also includes the underlying code developed in tandem with Google that will make contact tracing and exposure notification possible for smartphone users. Tap or click here to see how this program works.
With the coronavirus pandemic, we’re certainly living in uncertain times. And if you have an illness or a serious allergy, you need to be prepared for emergency situations. But if an emergency occurs, you may be unable to inform someone of your medication allergies or medical conditions.
