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Applications of Wearable Technology in Healthcare

By [x]cube LABS
Published: Mar 31 2015

Year 2000: You have just been discharged from a hospital but as a precautionary measure you’ve been asked to visit the hospital every second day because the doctor wants to keep a tab on your health. And you have no option but to take that long boring drive to the hospital, wait for your turn, undergo routine check -up and be back.

Fast forward to 2015: Your doctor has a tab on your health developments 24*7 because of that little band that you have been wearing on your wrist. You don’t have to drive all the way to the hospital, and wait for your turn to get attended.

Welcome to the world of wearable technology!

Consumers have lapped up the wearable technology that has monitored everything from heart beats to sleeping patterns. According to a report from Tractica, the global wearable device market will increase from 17 million devices shipped in 2013 to 187.2 million units annually by 2020. This is a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34 percent. With Apple now officially into the fray, wearable technology is likely to get a powerful thrust in acceptance.

The healthcare industry has always been at the fore when it came to consuming the latest technology. To put it right, it has been an ‘early adopter’. Wearables have now made it into the operation theaters and gyms, helping in live monitoring of one’s health. Wearable technology is making quick headway in the healthcare because all the three stakeholders – doctors, patients and insurers see a lot of upside potential in terms of providing better service.

To the doctors,

Wearables like smart watches and bands help in monitoring and capturing the real-time data of patients to improve diagnosis and deliver better treatments.
Doctors do not need to refer to a physical file each time a patient makes a visit, he can simply have the patient history before him, courtesy Google glass. Google glass in particular can also be used to read to integrate various scans and x-ray reports.
In cases of critical surgeries, wearables help in exchanging critical information on how the patient is responding thus giving more thrust to efficiency.
On a grander canvas, wearables can be used to collect data and predict health trends which eventually help in taking better precautions.

As we move more towards an age where more number of health providers are discouraging people from visiting their hospitals to reduce costs, wearable technology can go a long way to achieve the same because wearables empower the patients to monitor themselves.

To the patients,

Wearables will help patients keep an eye on the state of their health. This will lead to prognosis of diseases and ultimately a better care.
Wearables will give the patients the power to monitor important parameters like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, heartbeat rate etc. This will help them take important decision regarding health to stay fit.
Patients can communicate key data to the doctors in case of any abnormality with one push button. This saves time and timely action can be taken if needed.

To the insurers,

Insurers can use the data collected by wearables to make a better risk profile and come up with more innovative products.
Insurers can also make customized products according to the health pattern and risk profile of the patient.

Healthcare industry surely has exciting times moving into future as wearable technology is making the experience of delivering care more customised, simpler and in-time.

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Tags: Wearable Healthcare