Healthcare app development will be here to stay for the time being, but the recent spike in the acceptance of wearable technology indicates that the potential of wearable app development is full of endless opportunities.
In today’s healthcare transition, wearable technology plays a significant role. Wearables app development is inextricably linked to a changing healthcare delivery approach. Instead of the patient having to commute to a healthcare center, this new approach brings care to the patient wherever they are.
Wearable technology in healthcare is expected to increase rapidly in the foreseeable future, which is expected. Revenues are expected to climb to $139 billion worldwide by 2026, as per Fortune Business. This way, Wearables technology is poised to substantially impact the future of healthcare with such a major expansion.
Moreover, we generally think of advancements as happening in the distant future, but wearables rapidly transform the healthcare business. Wearables, and often the size of a wristband, could monitor your blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs, and their impact on healthcare is only beginning.
In this blog, we’ll cover wearable technology in detail, like how it’s being used in healthcare now and what the future holds for this rapidly evolving technology.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into this vital discussion!
What Is Wearable Technology?
Wearable technology has the potential to offer novel solutions to the healthcare system. Some wearable technology solutions, such as weight control and health and fitness monitoring, aim to prevent diseases and maintain health. Wearable devices are also used to keep track of patients and diagnose diseases.
Wearable apps have the potential to have a direct impact on clinical evaluation. Some feel that wearable technology in healthcare, such as patient therapy outside of hospitals, could enhance the quality of care while lowering costs.
You can also leverage wearable technology’s benefits by partnering up with the best wearable app development company.
Benefits of Wearable Technology for the Healthcare Industry
In today’s modern healthcare industry, wearable health devices have already made an impression. Doctors in hospitals increasingly use wearable technology to retrieve patient EHR data or transcribe vital clinical information during patient visits.
Wearables with increasingly powerful biosensing capabilities are also becoming more common in hospitals. The days of wearables that could just measure heart rate, steps, and calories are long gone.
Doctors can now measure hydration, electrolytes, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, muscle load, human strength, and exhaustion level with some wearables.
#1 Track Activity and Increase Productivity
One of the main benefits of wearable technology is that it helps to track activity and increase productivity. By tracking data such as steps taken, heart rate, and calories burned, people can monitor their physical activity better and improve over time.
This data can also be used to help people make healthier choices in their daily lives. For instance, if someone wants to lose weight, they may want to eat fewer calories than they’ve been consuming on average.
A wearable device can estimate how many calories a person has eaten each day based on things like exercise habits and food intake, which will allow them to better keep track of their progress towards weight loss goals.
#2 Improved Diagnosis
Wearable technology has the potential to improve diagnosis by allowing doctors to remotely monitor patients and identify issues early on. Additionally, wearables can provide more accurate data than traditional methods, tracking vitals continuously and in real time. This data can be used to improve diagnosis and tailor treatments to the individual patient.
#3 Reduction in Care Costs
Wearable technology is more cost-effective than ever before. The price of wearable devices has fallen sharply in recent years, making them more affordable for healthcare organizations.
Moreover, the cost of operating and maintaining a wearable device is typically lower than other medical equipment. For example, a typical CT scanner can take up to 10% of an organization’s budget annually. However, it is estimated that a fitness tracker could be as little as 0.1%.
#4 Encourages Proactive Healthcare
Proactive healthcare is one of the main goals of wearable technology. Proactive healthcare is a system where patients work with their doctors to manage their health and identify potential problems before they escalate.
This can be done in several ways, such as tracking fitness levels, daily activity, heart rate, and sleep patterns. All of this data can be used to help make informed decisions about lifestyle and diet changes that can improve overall health.
#5 Keeps Patients Engaged
Wearable technology can keep patients engaged in their care. By allowing patients to track their progress and receive real-time feedback, they are more likely to stay on track with health goals. Additionally, this technology can help remind patients to take their medications or follow up with their doctor.
#6 Data Collection
Hospital staff may use wearables such as smartwatches to collect data such as heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, glucose levels, and blood pressure readings from patients while they are hospitalized. The data can then be shared with other providers through telemedicine applications so they can provide better treatment and care plans.
#7 Easy-to-use Technology
Wearable technology is becoming popular in the healthcare industry due to its easy-to-use interface and wide range of applications. With wearable tech, doctors can make the patient’s diagnosis with more accuracy by using tools such as ECG monitors and pulse oximeters, which also provide automatic data acquisition.
For example, a doctor may place an oxygen monitor on a patient’s finger that can measure blood oxygen levels through various body points. With this device, doctors can easily detect irregularities in patients’ heart rate and respiration rates.
This way, doctors will be able to spend less time diagnosing medical conditions, leaving them more time to focus on treating them.
Key Challenges of Wearable Technology in Healthcare
There are a number of reasons why wearable technology poses a challenge for healthcare organizations.
- The data collected by wearable devices is often unstructured and difficult to manage.
- Wearables are often used to track sensitive health information, which raises privacy and security concerns.
- The battery life of most wearables is relatively short, meaning that they need to be regularly charged or replaced.
- Many wearables are not compatible with existing healthcare IT systems.
- Different wearables use different formats (e.g., proprietary or open source) for storing their data.
The Future of Wearable Technology in Healthcare!
It’s great that wearable technology has impacted the healthcare industry. On that note, let’s quickly look at how wearables disrupt the healthcare industry.
#1. Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
Monitoring, interpreting, and acquiring a comprehensive vision of blood pressure levels is crucial for everyone’s long-term health. Individuals may eventually get a hold of these measurements regularly using their fingers or wrist.
Wearable blood pressure (BP) monitors, which can be utilized in a variety of devices such as smartwatches, fitness bands, patches, and oximeter finger clips, have lately become popular.
Only three crucial characteristics are required for the monitoring: a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal, a motion signal, and static biometrics like age, gender, and height, among other details.
#2. Wearable ECG Monitors
Wearable ECG monitors are the newest technology in the community, replacing heart rate monitors with smartwatches and activity trackers.
The device is intended to assist people in keeping a closer eye on their heart health, and it could even be used to detect atrial fibrillation (Afib), a critical medical disease that is a major cause of stroke.
A wearable ECG monitor records the small electrical signals created by your heart pounding beneath your skin and displays them as a trace. This enables qualified doctors, machines, or wearables to better understand how your heart works – and to detect any irregularities.
Wearable ECG monitoring was first popularized by the Apple Watch and is now available on some other wristbands and smartwatches like Fitbit, Samsung smartwatches, and many more.
#3. Mental Status Monitoring
Researchers have been developing wearable continuous monitoring technology to enable students to more readily obtain mental healthcare as mental health disorders become more widespread on college campuses.
The device will detect high anxiety symptoms and guide users to resources using advanced machine learning and sensors on conventional off-the-shelf smartwatches.
Negative signs, such as the wearer’s self-reports and anxiety patterns in heart rate, activate the device. The wearer would be prompted to engage in rehabilitative activities if these indicators were detected.
#4. Biosensors
Biosensors are the most groundbreaking wearable technology that sets them apart. They have a wide range of applications for the healthcare industry. Biosensors are increasingly popular as they can measure biofluids like spit, tears, sweat, and interstitial fluids in real-time, providing real-time data.
The wearable biosensor is a self-adhesive patch that enables people to walk around while the device records their pulse, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature.
Currently, biosensors are employed to keep track of a patient’s condition. They’ve now been offered more widely for health and fitness purposes. They can identify various compounds connected to a health condition, providing insight into any problems and allowing users to act faster to avoid disease spread.
#5. Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring is a delivery mechanism within the greater telemedicine sector that uses specific technologies to electronically communicate information between patients and clinicians.
Wearable health monitors remind diabetic patients to take their insulin while letting their doctor check the disease, while digital blood pressure monitors like Medtronic allow the patient to submit their blood flow and blood oxygen levels to their doctors through the internet.
#6. Diabetes Care Management Device
A patient’s diabetes care management device is the most important indicator of their health if they have diabetes. These devices usually necessitate a blood sample, which is taken using a finger prick tool that comes with the device, and provide an instant glucose reading, providing individuals with a feeling of how effectively they’re managing their diabetes.
If the device identifies that blood glucose levels have become too low or too high, it will trigger an alert, and the application it connects with will provide patients with more information about their glucose levels and what they may do to raise or lower them as appropriate.
Besides, we can see huge funding for the applications of diabetes care management devices. Recently an app, GraphWear, has received $20.5 million in series B funding. You can also disrupt the industry by launching an app like this. But, you need to contact a top mobile app development company to accomplish it.
Conclusion
In short, wearables and health applications will play a significant role in healthcare. The use of wearable technology in healthcare is rapidly evolving, as is the development of mobile apps.
Many individuals around the world have begun to rely on wearable devices to complete various jobs, which is contributing to the rise in the popularity of customized wearable apps.
While wearable technology is undoubtedly beginning to transform healthcare, its use should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. After all, even the most advanced technology can backfire if utilized at the wrong moment or in the wrong position.
That’s why it’s so essential to hire the best healthcare app development company.
Quytech is a well-known company specializing in application development. Our skilled mobile app developers incorporate cutting-edge contemporary technologies, such as wearable technology in healthcare.