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Technology is transforming the healthcare industry. What we have in hospitals today will no doubt be unrecognizable from what used to be decades ago. It is important to keep pace with the change. Privacy, public opinion, and security can play a crucial role in determining which technologies get rolled out faster. Devices such as smartwatches, hearables, smart clothing, and a new generation of smart glasses are gaining share and attracting new audiences. It is important to collaborate with a wearable app development company to gain market traction.
Role of Wearables in the Healthcare Industry
Wearable device is often used to track a wearer’s vital signs or health and fitness-related data, and location. The healthcare industry is going through a digital uprising with the invasion of technology. Wearables empowered with artificial intelligence and big data are providing an added value to healthcare with a focus on accurate diagnosis, treatment, monitoring of vitals, and prevention. Wearable devices applied to healthcare offer multiple advantages to professionals as well as patients. In its most formative years, the growth of Wearables occurred mainly in the low-priced fitness tracker market.
What is the size of the Wearables Market?
Wearable tech is an emerging technology, and there is a high level of potential for innovation in the area. With the phenomenal growth in the healthcare and fitness field and the increasing adoption of wearable devices by consumers, the worldwide market for Wearables is expected to nearly double in size by 2021. In view of this high level of innovation and growth in the wearable tech industry, there’s no denying the future benefits that these devices will provide to both professionals and patients.
Types of Wearable Devices
- Fitness Trackers
- Body Sensors
- Wearable Patches
- Wrist Devices
- Heart Straps
- Headbands
- Posture Monitors
- Movement Sensors
- Wearable Defibrillator
- Smart Clothing
- Smart Glasses
- Wearable Camera
- Others
Who’s buying Wearables and why?
Wearables have appealed mostly to younger people.
- In 2015, 24.0% of those ages 25 to 34 had a wearable device, while 6.5% of those ages 55 to 64 had one. In 2019, young consumers will still be the largest group of wearable users, with penetration among the 25-to-34 cohort jumping to 38.0%.
- But user penetration for the older consumers will also increase substantially to 13.2%. Apple clearly has an eye on the older age groups with the health features in its latest Apple Watch.
- It is estimated that roughly a quarter of US adults, 56.7 million, will use a wearable device at least once a month in 2019. Just over half of those will use a smartwatch. An additional 3.8 million US children and teens will have a wearable device.
Wearables Market Size:
By 2019, the projected size of the global market for wearable devices in the healthcare sector is expected to grow to around 4.4 billion U.S. dollars globally.
Advantages of Wearable App Development in the Healthcare Industry
Early diagnosis & Remote Monitoring
Medical parameters in wearable devices allow early detection of symptoms with monitoring of vitals, especially for people prone to health problems, irregularities can be detected before they become problems and could be possibly averted. Healthcare professionals can monitor patients remotely and in real-time through the use of wearable devices. Medical professionals can get a view of the issues affecting the patient. They can use data for accurate diagnosis than they would have been able to without using the device.
Data Management
Wearable devices collect voluminous amounts of highly relevant data which can help healthcare professionals decipher complex correlations existing between medical conditions and its effective management. For instance, evaluation of data collected via wearable fitness trackers such as heart rate allows physicians to monitor the relation between patients’ physical activity and calorie consumed.
Self Management
Wearable devices are also helpful to provide real-time data and promoting self-management for chronic conditions. Several devices such as blood glucose and blood pressure monitors have been in existence for a long time. With wearable technologies, the data collected will automatically be uploaded to a smartphone app or website to get actionable insights about health outcomes. These programs can provide track patterns, show progress, and can be easily shared with a health care provider. The importance of wearables is likely to multiply when paired with other tools such as a health coach, personal fitness trainer, healthcare provider, wellness programs, and much more.
Information Database
The data are stored in real-time, allowing a more exhaustive analysis of the information. This results in a more complete and precise report on the patient’s medical history, which can be shared with other medical specialists. Provide quick access to patient data stored online or in healthcare databases, facilitate remote collaboration between healthcare organizations, and could potentially streamline healthcare training.
Wearable Technology: Effective Way to Achieve Healthcare Interoperability
In recent years, more are more Wearables are transcending from the wellness segment to real-time patient monitoring — largely due to advancement in IoT technology, the diminishing price of sensors, and the easy availability of open-source APIs, frameworks, and libraries for cost-effective products development.
Medical Wearables’ true power comes from the ability to collect insightful information; provided sensor data is analyzed and acted upon, healthcare professionals could achieve greater transparency in day-to-day operations and improve patient outcomes.
Conclusion
Just like smartwatches, continuous glucose monitoring devices, smart bandages, and heart straps, headbands, posture monitors, movement sensors, and wearable defibrillators – to name a few – will be common applications in the future healthcare industry. Wearable sensors would transformative, helping patients and doctors alike overcome some of the limitations in traditional healthcare. While these devices won’t completely replace the conventional or existing methods of healthcare delivery or monitoring, it is possible that wearables will provide alerts to the patient and help medical professionals monitor patients remotely.
