Mental health problems in Asia are severe, which directly affects quality of life and workplace productivity. Studies have shown that people with poor mental health have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the correlation between mental and physical health. Wearable devices have shown great potential in mental health management and improved the effectiveness of mental health interventions. PatientsForce’s innovative home care service encourages the concept of preventive medicine and the importance of health management through health measurement devices to manage physical and mental health.
Up to 80 percent of working people in Asia have potential mental health risks
According to the Asia Mental Health Index 2023, 82% of employees in Asia have moderate to high levels of mental health risk (Note 1), which not only affects their quality of life, but also may lead to a decline in workplace productivity. In fact, mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and stress not only threaten our psychological state, but are also significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Association of mental health with cardiovascular disease risk
A study by Johns Hopkins University showed (Note 2) that people with poor mental health had a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study found that people who felt they had poor mental health for 1 to 13 days in the past 30 days had a 1.5 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those without mental health problems. The risk was 2.3 times higher for those who felt they had poor mental health for 14 to 30 days.
People with poor psychological state usually have poor eating and sleeping, and unhealthy behaviors such as too much sedentary life in daily life, and before you know it, cardiovascular disease will be exacerbated again. This shows the close relationship between mental and physical health, especially the risk of cardiovascular disease, and the need to actively focus on and improve mental health.
Application of wearable devices in mental health management
Fortunately, advances in technology have provided us with new solutions. Recent research by Labfront, ThoughtFull, and Garmin has shown that wearable devices can significantly improve the effectiveness of mental health interventions by not only monitoring physical activity, sleep quality, and heart rate, but also incorporating subjective feedback from patients.
Users of wearable devices experienced a 37% improvement in mental health indicators, demonstrating the huge potential of these devices to manage their health in their daily lives, not only to improve mental health, but also to reduce the increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to poor mental health.
The push for digital home care services
In addition to helping patients with cardiovascular or triple high to continue the professional care experience of the hospital at home, PatientsForce also encourages people to practice “prevention is better than cure” in their daily lives, and can also use health measurement devices such as Garmin to manage physical and mental health at home.
Patientsforce Lead, April Li
