Infrared to measure glucose levels? Skin-thin electronic sensors that sit on our skin and analyze all kinds of sounds our body makes? Finger rings that transmit real-time health data? It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie but a lot of this is already happening, and the rest is not too far in the future. Wearable health technology, once the stuff of science fiction, has made the journey from fantasy into our lives, capturing more than just our imagination.
We’re already familiar with the more popular health wearables today. Devices that measure how much we walk or run, our heart rates, sleep patterns, and even our blood oxygenation. Powered by technological advances of today, health wearables have evolved far beyond these, stretching to non-invasive mediums like infrared sensors and electronic tattoos.
Take a gander at upcoming wearable technology from contact lenses that can detect diseases to wearables that sense nutritional biomarkers.
What is Healthcare Wearable Technology?
These are devices that attach to our bodies and collect health-related data that can be used by doctors, insurance firms, and so on, to diagnose, research, and treat. Devices like glucose meters, smartwatches, fitness trackers, blood pressure monitors, biosensors, and ECG monitors, are being commonly used in remote patient monitoring and telehealth services.
The Evolution of Wearable Technology from Sci-Fi to Prototype
Revenue fromwearable health technology is expected to hit USD 69.2 billion by 2028, leaving no doubt what’s going to be at the helm of growth in personalized healthcare. And it’s not just limited to fitness trackers or heart rate monitors anymore. Wearable health technology has evolved to become much more powerful in the healthcare system. It has enabled doctors to be more efficient and has empowered patients by giving them control of their health through comprehensive monitoring and preventive healthcare.
But we didn’t just land here. Wearable technology has gone through many hits and misses to reach where it’s today.
1987 – Digital Hearing Aid
The world meets Phoenix, the first digital aid launched by the Nicolet Corporation. It may not have been successful, but it paved the way for digital hearing aids in the future.
1999 – The Digital Era Begins
RIM released the BlackBerry 850, a first-of-its-kind-wireless device.
2000 – Enter Bluetooth
The first consumer Bluetooth device was launched in 2000, and Ericsson released the first ever mobile phone with Bluetooth capabilities.
2003 – Garmin Sets the Tone
Garmin launched the Forerunner, a watch that could track user activity with GPS technology.
2004 – Microsoft SPOT
Microsoft’s SPOT was the first connected smartwatch. It was not commercially successful, but showed the potential of integrating technology into everyday accessories.
2007 – RFID and Smart Gloves
The integration of RFID technology into wearable devices made user interaction possible, like with the iGlove.
2010s – The Shift Happens
This decade saw a decided upward shift in wearable technology. Apple and Samsung launched their first-gen watches, Garmin and Fitbit introduced multi-featured fitness trackers, and Nike launched FuelBand. With mainstream brands entering the mix, user adoption, and excitement, increased. We could now track our daily activity levels, measure our heart rate, track sleep, and even perform an ECG.
2014 – 2017 New Realities
Augmented and virtual reality based devices like Google Glass and Oculus Rift offered users immersive experiences, and invited a whole new range of possibilities for wearable health devices.
2018 – Fitbit Versa
By combining health tracking with smartwatch features, the Fitbit Versa was an important step forward for fitness wearables.
2020 – Wearables Get Smaller
The Oura Ring became popular for its advanced health monitoring capabilities like accurately measuring sleep, activity, and physiological metrics.
2021- A Touch of Luxe
Google’s Fitbit Luxe combined style and aesthetic appeal with health tracking features to entice the fashion-loving customer.
2022-2023 – Advanced AR and VR Tech
Meta Quest 2 and Apple’s Vision Pro took the extended reality game several notches higher, blending the digital and physical worlds seamlessly, enabling more immersive experiences for healthcare delivery.
2024 – Neurotechnology Wearables
We’re looking at neurotechnology getting integrated with wearables and leading to the emergence of brain-computer interfaces. Worn as headsets or embedded into clothing, users can control digital devices using their thoughts. In addition to this huge leap in human-computer interaction, another development in the wings is wearables for mental health that can track stress levels in users and provide personalised advice.
Wearable technology is evolving, and new applications keep emerging, promising the healthcare industry endless benefits.
Fitness Trackers
Good old fitness trackers are the easiest way to monitor a variety of basic health parameters, sleep stages, activity levels and more. They are simple and compact and give users an initial view of their health.
Smart Health Watches
In addition to monitoring basic and some advanced health parameters, these next gen fitness trackers can also send voice commands and manage calls and messages. The more recent models equip users with deeper insights like stress levels and heart anomalies thanks to the inclusion of new technologies like optical sensors, semiconductor, AI, and data science.
Chronic Condition Management
Chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes need constant monitoring, often remotely. Health wearables can easily, and more accurately, monitor chronic patients over longer periods and in different conditions. HeartGuide, a wearable oscillometric blood pressure monitor from Omron Healthcare, tracks daily activities while also measuring blood pressure. This helps users correlate their health with their lifestyle choices. Already, ECG monitors have been integrated with watches from Apple and Samsung.
Biosensors
Most consumer-grade biosensors come in the form of adhesive patches that sit on our skin. The sensors gather vital health data without interfering with daily activities and allow both doctors and patients an easy way to measure parameters like cardiac performance, weight, respiratory rates, and even fluid levels. Non-invasive sensors with continuous monitoring capabilities enhance the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes.
Cancer Cell Detection
Biomedical researchers have been working on wearable devices that analyze blood samples, and detect, measure circulating tumor cells to offer more conclusive findings. Such devices could be game-changing for cancer diagnosis by detecting cancer early and eliminating the need for extensive treatments.
Wearable Technology and IoT
Wearable health tech combined with IoT devices are a powerful medical tool. They not just collect, but also transmit real-time data about a user’s health and activities. This data helps doctors, patients, and caregivers to monitor health conditions, make informed decisions, and improve patient health.
Remote Monitoring and Management
Data like pulse rate, glucose levels, and blood pressure can be transmitted to doctors, allowing them to track their patient’s health status remotely.
Early Detection and Prevention
Users and healthcare professionals can monitor activity levels and sleep patterns to check for indications of sleep apnea or cardiovascular problems.
Personalized Healthcare
All that personalized data generated by wearables help create bespoke healthcare plans for more effective treatment plans and better outcomes.
Chronic Disease Management
IoT-enabled health devices give better insights into how a user’s lifestyle factors impact their health, enabling them to make better choices.
Post-Operative Monitoring
Patients need monitoring after surgeries, which can be cumbersome if the doctor or the patient are unable to get to the hospital. IoT wearables allow doctors to remotely track patient recovery after a procedure and adjust treatment or medication plans.
Senior Care
Care and remote health monitoring of senior patients is perhaps one of the most crucial use cases of IoT wearables. Features such as overall health monitoring, location tracking, and fall detection allow caregivers keep a closer check on their family member’s or ward’s safety.
Addiction Recovery
Devices like ViviHealth’s Vivi360 monitor an addict’s recovery, using machine learning to track the impact of specific events on sobriety. Doctors can access a dashboard or a specialized app to deliver real-time and interactive care, and to ensure lasting recovery from addiction.
However, while the wearable health tech and IoT combo holds great potential, there are many challenges to address. Privacy and data security, accuracy, and regulatory compliance, are just some of the issues that need to be addressed as this technology advances.
Challenges of Wearable Technology in Healthcare
Data Privacy
Lots of tricky questions here. Who owns all that data collected by wearable health devices? Who will use it and how? Is the data stored securely and allowed authorized access only? At the center of wearable devices lies the balance between effective healthcare and protecting against data breaches.
Data Accuracy
Healthcare professionals are still divided over the accuracy and reliability of the gathered data. Wrong data could mean wrong diagnoses, incorrect treatments, and potentially disastrous health outcomes. Wearable devices typically use one-size-fits-all algorithms, which bothers doctors about the accuracy of their data for special cases. Even with evolution in biosensors, the risk of misleading data remains.
It’s Also About the Money
Beyond the basic fitness trackers, wearable devices continue to be expensive, putting them beyond the reach of the average consumer, thus slowing down adoption.
Integration Challenges
Existing systems in clinics and hospitals need to be seamlessly integrated with wearable devices for data exchange and interoperability. Wearables from different manufacturers must also be able to communicate with each other.
Regulatory Compliance
Healthcare ranks high as one of the most highly regulated industries. Manufacturers of wearable health and IoT devices must ensure compliance with regional and international standards. This includes data privacy, device certifications, and compliance with healthcare standards.
User Adoption and Engagement
Maintaining interest and increasing user adoption will continue to be an uphill battle, with manufacturers having to upgrade devices, and users expecting more personalization. Even users who can afford expensive devices may lose their initial enthusiasm over time.
Future Trends and Innovations
The goal of increasing user adoption is demanding the introduction of new product generations and innovations with underlying technology such as extended reality, machine learning and blockchain. Manufacturers are looking at adding new health features, incorporating AI for more personalization, and transmitting real-time data to doctors for timely responses and treatments. Wearables and IoT devices will continue to become more integrated and will collaborate over electronic health records and other data sources for a thorough view of the user’s health.
We can expect wearables to better integrate with telehealth platforms. Evolution is also expected in implantable devices as they become more versatile and competent, offering tracking over longer periods of time and better healthcare delivery for chronic conditions.
A key development will be wearable health expanding to mental health and monitoring emotional well-being. Users can seek early interventions and, most importantly, destigmatize mental health care.
Conclusion
In short, the future of wearable technology is dazzling. As new players with more advanced features enter the space, there’s no doubt that the industry has plenty of room for growth. Innovation in EKG processing and sensor technologies as well as more cutting-edge data analytics will enhance data interpretation and enable more precise interventions. It’s definitely going to be a win-win scenario for patients and providers.
If you want to learn more about how IoT integration will improve patient experience, contact us now.
Written By
Assistant Manager Delivery
Rishabh is a passionate Assistant Manager Delivery at Clixlogix, bridging the gap between technology and your business.
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