Wearable Tech: The Future of Health Monitoring

With AI and machine learning shaking things up like never before, we're witnessing remarkable new ways to manage everyday tasks. Take healthcare, for instance. Remember the days when every minor sniffle required a trip to the doctor? Now, you can simply hop on a video call from the comfort of your home and receive a diagnosis and prescription. How convenient is that? 

The advancements don’t stop there. Wearable devices, like fitness bands and smartwatches, are also transforming health monitoring. In fact, 1 in every 3 Americans uses these gadgets to track their health and fitness. These devices provide real-time, accurate health data, acting as a personal doctor on your wrist. 

The healthcare sector is rapidly evolving with the integration of AI and robotics, making health monitoring easier and more precise without disrupting daily life. It truly feels like living in the future!

This article analyzes the wearables market’s current landscape, its future prospects, and the challenges they bring along.

Present Dynamics of Wearables

In the current landscape, there are many wearable options. The most general wearables we are aware of include:

• Fitness trackers
• Smartwatches
• VR (Virtual Reality) headsets
• Smart jewelry
• Smart glasses
• Bluetooth headsets

These serve different purposes, which include health, sports, or entertainment. However, since we are categorically talking about the healthcare sector here, let’s see the wearables being used in the healthcare industry today:

• Wearable fitness trackers: These are majorly wristbands with sensors to monitor the heart rhythm and track physical activity. These cannot do in-depth medical analysis but are good for keeping track of daily exertion.
• Smartwatches: Smartwatches monitor body movement and pulse while providing the basic functions of a watch and some extra smart functions such as music and calls. However, they do not offer any biomarker data.
• Fitness trackers: These devices are specifically made to monitor your heart rate and calculate the quantum of calories burnt during exertion. These provide a slightly deeper understanding of your internal health.
• Smart clothing: These are another type of fitness wearables but with a small twist. Instead of being on the wrist or just a part of your arm, they cover the majority of your body. They also monitor how your body responds to any physical stress.
• Wearable ECG monitors: As the name suggests, these devices are specifically made just to monitor ECG (electrocardiograms). Since they are wearable, the patient does not have to stay in the confines of the hospital for ECG monitoring.
• Biosensors: Biosensors are self-adhesive patches that can help monitor your heart rate, respiratory data, and body temperature. The patch has a thin needle that enters the body to gather accurate data and remains till you don’t pull the patch out.

Now that we know the devices being used, what kind of data are being used, and how they are managed in the healthcare sector, we need to understand their impacts. Long story short, the usage of these wearables has a positive effect on both the patients as well as the medical practitioners.

While the patient does not have to take leaves from the office or stop their day-to-day tasks, the doctors can also get more accurate data based on the data gathered during the usual daily life processes. This helps enhance the treatment’s effectiveness through personalized healthcare monitoring and minimizes judgment errors.

Future Prospects for Wearables

With more healthcare wearables coming into the market each year and the existing technology improving to provide better care to patients, the future healthcare industry is set to be more personalized for each patient than ever. The following advancements in wearables can probably be seen in the near future in various domains:

• Remote Patient Monitoring: While remote patient monitoring is still possible, certain advancements can be experienced in the near future. This includes helping individuals and doctors detect chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, or heart problems.
• Advanced Fitness Tracking: Wearables might start tracking specific muscle activity or body hydration levels with advancements in technology. That’s not it. For sportspeople, these gadgets thoroughly analyze the patterns and guide them to correct their gestures and postures.
• Predictive Capabilities: Wearable devices can analyze data to predict the likelihood and risks of various ailments. For instance, they can provide early warnings for heart attacks and track the effectiveness of fasting on your health
• Innovations: Wearables will enable real-time consultations with doctors and present wearable data through engaging charts and visualizations. Take, for example, Apple's Vision Pro. It offers a spatial and three-dimensional experience, which holds immense potential in the healthcare sector. This technology takes virtual doctor-patient interactions to a whole new level, enhancing their relationship in a transformative way.
• Fashionable Wearables: These are slowly picking up pace in the recent wearables industry. This includes smart rings, bracelets, and even smart eyewear. However, the technology is still in its growing phase.

This personalization will provide more tailored treatment for each patient, thus giving the best possible care. Furthermore, accurate early detection of diseases will be possible. This will give the patients an opportunity to beat the disease.

Wearable technologies are forecasted to reduce almost 16% of hospital costs by 2027, and by 2037, it could help save US$200 billion with its remote patient monitoring devices.

Challenges for Wearables in Healthcare

The following are the major challenges and considerations for wearable tech:

1. Data Privacy and Security

Wearables collect and transmit personal data, which can be prone to hacking, data breaches, and identity theft. Companies must ensure data privacy through encryption and the latest security patches.

2. Battery Life

Since wearables need to be used for a long period, they require a really good battery backup. Since the wearables are small in form-factor, they do not have as big a battery as required. This can pose a problem for users who require the use of their devices all day.

3. Accuracy and Reliability

Wearable healthcare tech needs to be accurate and reliable when it comes to data collection. It is important for personalized medical treatment. If this does not happen, the treatment could go sideways. Ultimately, inaccuracies can compromise their effectiveness.

4. Medical Norms and Regulations

Wearable technologies must be compliant with specific regulations, though the scope of rules varies depending on the device. For example, non-intrusive wearables like smartwatches might not need many approvals. However, intrusive wearables like patches need medical approval.

5. Ethical Practices

Ethical considerations of wearables include data privacy, adherence to healthcare standards, and informed consent from patients. Medical practitioners must obtain written permission from patients before using wearables for health monitoring. This is necessary since some wearables are intrusive, and thus, if any mishaps happen, it can be a huge hassle for both the patient and the doctors.

Conclusion

The healthcare sector is pacing forward, and the prime driver in its growth is the advancements in tech. While the future of the healthcare sector looks very bright, some hurdles still need to be tackled to provide the best medical care to patients and ensure the highest possible chances of good treatment. One solution can be the creation of medical-specific applications for treatment. What can further help is the effective integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in these applications for the smooth transitioning of the medical sector to new tech standards. 

Cubet stands at the forefront of AI advancements by providing full-service digital solutions and comprehensive software development services custom-made for each business, whether technical, financial, or medical. Book a call with us to learn more!