Wearable technology in healthcare serves as a tool to better understand one’s health by collecting the users’ personal health and exercise data. While a healthy individual may utilize wearable technology to maintain their health and keep track of their physical activity, these products also serve to prevent and manage disease. Among wearable technology, the most commonly measured data includes vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and blood oxygen saturation. In addition, smart health watches, like the latest Apple Watch, tracks sleep and contains a fast, FDA approved electrocardiogram sensor. In a healthcare setting, wearable technology could improve the quality of patient care in an innovative way by continuously monitoring a patient’s status. Research shows that wearable devices produced an 89% reduction in patient deterioration by preventing cases of cardiac and respiratory arrest. 

In addition to wearable technology’s benefits related to improving patients’ quality of care and patient outcomes, these devices also incentivize healthy habits. According to a survey, 75 percent of wearable technology users agree that these devices help them engage with their own health. Further, wearable technology reduces hospital visits and readmissions due to poorly managed personal health as the user has additional insight into their health through the data collected by the device. As a result of these extensive benefits, US consumer use of wearable technology increased from 15.5 percent in 2016 to 23.3 percent in 2020. As these devices continue to develop, the growing industry will continue to promote healthy lifestyles and boost profitability. 

Wearable technology improves health in various ways including the prevention of diseases, maintenance of health, and patient management. As falls occur in 30 to 60 percent of older adults each year with 10 to 20 percent of them resulting in injury, hospitalization, or death, a recent development in wearable technology collects and analyzes gait to prevent falls, and could potentially decrease the prevalence of these incidences in older adults. One study found considerable results with 86 to 91 percent accuracy in predicting and indicating falls by using a accelerometer bracelet to detect walking patterns that could lead to adverse events like falling and seizure onset. While these devices can monitor a healthy individuals’ exercise and physical activity, they can also support mobility in patients with diseases limiting their activity. For example, patients with brain and spinal cord injuries need exercise to improve motor recovery in some cases. While these patients cannot monitor or assess their own conditions without a healthcare provider, wearable technology can transmit physiological data to clinicians from home-based rehabilitation. 

In addition to preventing, maintaining, and managing health, these devices provide a valuable resource in disease management. In those with heart disorders, wearable devices can monitor heart rate, electric signals with an ECG, and heart rate variability. The benefit of these wearable devices is that they can assess patient heart activity continuously without interfering with the patient’s daily activities in any setting, not just in a clinical environment. These wearables have the ability to detect abnormalities in heart rhythms or with electrical conduction. In addition to physical medical conditions, these devices can assist with the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of psychiatric disorders. For example, researchers explored a wearable textile technology that measures heart rate variability to monitor the autonomic status of bipolar patients. While these wearable technologies already provide many benefits, future developments and continuing research will discover even more innovative advancements in healthcare. 

References:

Luo, J., & Wu, M. (2021, April 2). Wearable Technology Applications in Healthcare: A Literature Review. HIMSS. https://www.himss.org/resources/wearable-technology-applications-healthcare-literature-review#_ENREF_28. 

Phaneuf, A. (2021, January 11). Latest trends in medical monitoring devices and wearable health technology. https://www.businessinsider.com/wearable-technology-healthcare-medical-devices.

Vailshery, L. S. (2021, January 22). Adult wearable users penetration rate in the United States from 2016 to 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/793800/us-adult-wearable-penetration/.