We’ve all heard that electronic health record adoption has tripledsince 2010, which is especially noteworthy considering that the field of health information technology is still in its relative infancy. But while EHRs are top of mind in most health IT discussions, they’re only one facet of a rapidly growing and evolving industry.

It’s time to start expanding our health IT focus to encompass devices and applications that are much more accessible to patients, who are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to capture their health data. These data paint a more complete picture of their health and have significant potential to positively change our health care delivery system.

This new kind of data is termed “observations of daily living,” or “ODLs.” They’re the bits of information that are defined and recorded by people during the course of their daily lives, based on health information that is personally relevant and meaningful to them.

Read more on how ODLs provide tangible, real-world feedback about how patients are doing here.