10 Ways Wearables Are Revolutionizing Healthcare Today

Advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology have fueled its expansion across various industries, with the healthcare sector being one of the most impacted. Wearables used in this field have the potential to shift the focus away from the reactive to the proactive provision of care and the improvement of the effectiveness of treatment. Through the more data-driven quality of treatments, the technology of wearables could potentially save thousands of lives. Hence, the application of wearable technology in the area of healthcare is not only an issue of digitalization, but one of enormous social value.

We will talk about wearable technology and how it is capable of transforming the life of doctors and patients in this article.

1.What is wearable technology in healthcare? Basic info

Wearable health technology is a term that is applied to electronic wearable items that track health data. The parameters that could be tracked vary with the device. Typically, though, the devices aid in the collection of such data as vital signs, activity, and other physiological parameters.

For example, wearable health technologies vary from fitness trackers to smart watches, continuous glucose monitors, ECG monitors, to smart clothing, among others.

These sensors provide information on a real-time basis that could potentially be accessed by doctors, patients, or artificial intelligence systems to provide real-time health information and support disease prevention.

The size of the global wearable medical device market size reached the figure of $81.15 billion in 2023. In 2024, it will reach $91.21 billion. The gap shows quite a rapid increase.

Analysts, however, project more positive long-term expectations. Predicting that by 2032 the industry will have a value of $324.73 billion, the CAGR for the period between 2024 and 2032 will be more than 17%.

Advantages of using wearable devices in healthcare

There is a need to look into the benefits of wearable technology in the health sector from various perspectives. This will help you have a full understanding of what the technology has to offer to the industry.

Benefits for patients

Proactive health management. Wearables provide people with the means to monitor their own health metrics, such as heart rate, sleep, and activity. When people have real-time information, they are more likely to make better lifestyle choices and identify potential issues sooner.

Better chronic disease management. With wearables, it becomes easier for people with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension to track symptoms. Individuals can decide if they need to change treatment or lifestyle as a result of this. For instance, continuous glucose monitors avoid people experiencing the extremes of glucose levels.

Improved health goal achievements. Wearables can give actionable feedback, reminders, and alerts to the users. These alerts could encourage them to exercise, adhere to a diet, or sleep at the scheduled time.

Advanced emergency support. Some wearables have the ability to detect falls, irregular heart rhythms, or sudden changes in blood pressure. The need for periodic office visits will no longer be present.

Advantages to doctors

Continuous real-time data and monitoring. Physicians have access to the health records of the patient at any moment without interruptions or delays. This allows for the identification of issues in the early stage and the taking of immediate decisions.

Data-driven decision-making. Having access to unbiased data at all times improves diagnostic accuracy and enables data-driven decision-making. Doctors need not rely on self-reported symptoms if they have access to wearable data.

Rich research material. Wearable data can be invaluable to inform advances in clinical research. Aggregated and anonymized wearable data can be used to conduct research into the efficacy of treatments and disease patterns.

Provision of highly effective individualized treatment. Doctors have the ability to utilize information obtained through wearable technology to personalize treatment protocols to the individualized health patterns of the patient. For example, a doctor can use information on the sleeping and activity patterns of the patient to personalize medication to the patient's needs.

Shared benefits

More effective patient-doctor communication. The physician is better placed to build communication with the patient with wearable device data. The communication would also be more result-oriented and data-driven. Reduced cost of healthcare. Healthcare wearable technology fosters preventive treatment. This decreases emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and complex treatments.

Use of wearable technology in health:

Questions and answers Use of wearable health monitors is beneficial but also poses certain problems. That is why it will prove to be helpful to look into potential issues and how to solve them before designing your own.

Data privacy and security

Wearable health devices deal with sensitive health information. Patient confidentiality is compromised by cyberattacks, data breaches, and loss.

The incorporation of end-to-end encryption and storage security tools is now a necessity to protect wearable data. In addition, do not forget that the health industry is among the most regulated. Consequently, it is extremely important to have your solution compliant with the existing regulations, including HIPAA in the United States. These regulatory environments also assist you with the necessary security.

Device cost and accessibility

Currently, the cost of these machines limits access, particularly among people in the developing world.

These prices are quite feasible. Healthcare wearable technology requires advanced sensors. Some solution to the problem is available, however. The device manufacturers must consider cheaper options, particularly for the simple health monitoring. Governments must also consider the possibility of subsidizing the health providers that will make the distribution of the devices available to the qualified patients.

Data accuracy

The precision of data received via such sensors is subject to a number of factors. For example, sensor quality, location, and user behavior could have an impact.

To begin with, the patients need to be taught how to use the wearables and to calibrate the devices periodically. Secondly, the companies need to use the most precise sensor technology in the devices and make the protocols for calibration more stringent.

Wearable technology in healthcare: Use cases

You will observe the most available wearable choices, as well as the most advanced ones that have not found widespread application.

Fitness trackers.

They track physical activity, heart rate, calories burned, and sleep patterns. They are mainly used to promote a healthy lifestyle as they have the capacity to motivate people to meet activity targets as well as promote overall health.

Smart watches with health monitoring.

These smart watches also constitute one of the most ubiquitous examples of wearable technology in the area of medicine. They possess the capability to include features of heart rate monitoring, electrocardiograms, oxygen level checking in the blood, and fall detection.

Continuous glucose monitors.

These monitors have the ability to track real-time glucose levels. As a result of such systems people with diabetes have the potential to receive alerts in situations of critical glucose levels. Also, with a CGM, a patient will not have to have his/her finger punctured repeatedly.

Smart clothing.

Smart garments presuppose that they have sensors to monitor muscle activity, respiration, heart rate, and posture. They would likely be of use to rehabilitation patients, as to athletes.

Wearable blood pressure monitors.

These monitors are designed for individuals who need to have continuous monitoring of blood pressure, such as those with hypertension. These wearables have the capacity to monitor data in real-time and store it for later examination.

Wearable ECG monitors.

They provide people with the means to take an on-demand ECG whenever and wherever they please and send the result to a doctor right away. They facilitate the identification of abnormalities in a timely manner and instant intervention.

Pain management wearables.

As of today, it is too soon to speak about the mass use of such gadgets. Meanwhile, research and development in this field cannot but draw attention. These gadgets apply neurostimulation techniques like TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) to manage chronic pain and migraine. They apply low-level electrical pulses to reduce the sensation of pain. Such a technique is able to cut the patient's dependence on analgesics and accumulate accurate data on the incidence of pain and its severity.

The future of wearable technology in the area of healthcare: Expectations.

With all the potential that the health industry can leverage with the advent of wearables, the future of the technology appears to be rosy. To date, it is plausible to project that in the future, the sector will see more advanced products with enhanced capabilities. This is possible with the convergence of wearable technology in the health industry with other cutting-edge technologies.

AI integration.

Wearable technology will likely be fueled by sophisticated AI tools. They will have the capacity to decipher complex health data and identify patterns to predict health dangers like heart attacks or exacerbations of chronic disease.

Improved battery life.

Innovations in battery technology will allow wearable devices to last longer on a single charge or even recharge passively. Such devices need to be worn 24/7 and issues with batteries can negatively affect their efficiency.

Last Words

Wearable technology is revolutionizing the delivery of modern healthcare by facilitating health monitoring, disease prevention, and personalized treatment more than ever. As artificial intelligence and biosensors continue to evolve, these technologies will increasingly enhance patient care and clinical research.

Top 10 Ways Wearables Are Transforming Modern Healthcare