Health On The Go- Exploring The Possibilities Of Wearable Technology

Introduction

Wearable technology has transformed health care access and data over the last decade. The general demand for watches began to dip with the use of mobile phones, but when the adaptation of health functions into watches began, it skyrocketed once again.

The wrist is an ideal place for monitoring vairous body functions due to its peculiarities, it has a great surface, it’s very very mobile , has a good network of arteries and veins to monitor blood pressure and the skin is thin enough also to measure the heart rate amongst others.

Benefits

The advantages of wearable tech include the personal feel such that it is with you almost anywhere you go, helping to monitor important vitals even when not close to a hospital or health facility. Also it encourages healthy habit formation, one notable way this happens is the Hawthorne effect where it’s observed that people adjust behavior to be desirable when watched or measured. The fact that patients are aware their calories , weight or sugar levels are being watched , usually encourages them to build right habits especially in the short term. In addition the ability of these devices to provide instantaneous results makes them even more desirable to health providers.

Applications

With its more adoption, the use and application for this technology is becoming even more profound. One aspect being explored is the integration of data to a patient’s EMR or personal records and with this the patient’s assessment can be done in real time as well as give a clear history of what the results have being like over a period of time. For hypertensive patients for example, having a history of the blood pressure range can help determine the efficacy of the drugs or the need to change them as well as alert when emergencies like stroke are eminent.

Limitations

This technology isn’t without its limitations though, because even though it provides personalized on the spot care assessment, it still demands co-operation and active participation from the patient. Researchers have observed that the Hawthorne-effect wears off over time and people can easily revert to old habits even if they know they’re been watched. One way to circumvent this is introducing new parameters to be accessed periodically. Another challenge is reminders and assessment can occur in unfavorable places or at unfavorable times. Imagine a reminder to complete your steps for the day in the middle of your zoom presentation, it’s hard to act on it immediately and if delayed there’s the tendency to forget.

Conclusion

Overall there’s no doubt this is here to stay as more people become conscious about their health and lives more tech driven, wearable tech and many of its variants would continue to expand. Providers welcome and encourage this development as it makes monitoring easier, however there’s still the need for communication between users and their healthcare providers to address concerns as they occur.

Do you use any wearable or digital health technology? How has your experience been like?

References

-https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-hawthorne-effect-2795234

-https://www.himss.org/resources/endless-possibilities-wearable-technology-healthcare