What critical advancement moved digital measurements beyond descriptive purposes?
Answer
Formal integration into clinical trial endpoints or triggering medical decision alerts.
While the initial use of digital data often served descriptive purposes—simply documenting what a patient was doing (e.g., activity level or sleep duration)—the critical advancement occurred when this data began to actively influence medical care or research evaluation. This transition means the measurement moves from merely describing a state to being incorporated formally as a primary or secondary endpoint in a clinical trial, or being used to generate an actionable alert that prompts a physician to change a treatment plan or intervene. This direct impact on medical decisions signifies the maturation of the measurement's clinical utility.

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