The integration of wearable health techs gadgets such as smartwatches and Fitbits is shaping the face of modern healthcare. In the span of four years, user adoption of such devices has tripled, reflecting an escalating interest in self-health tracking.
This enthusiasm for wearable tech is far from waning, with consumers expressing increased eagerness to relay their health statistics to medical professionals and insurance firms. In their 2021 report, Insider Intelligence projects a YoY growth of 25.5% for the U.S. smart wearable industry in 2023, climbing from 23.3% in the previous year.
Understanding the Health Tech Wearable Wave
Wearable tech gadgets, personalized to be carried on the body, gather critical health and workout data. They have an extraordinary feature: the ability to transmit patient health data to healthcare providers instantly.
A Peek Into the New Generation of Health Tech Wearables
Amidst the rising demand for self-administered health management, various stakeholders in healthcare, including insurers, providers, and tech firms, are engineering a spectrum of wearable devices, ranging from smartwatches to wearable monitors.
Staying Fit with Wearable Fitness Trackers
Wearable fitness trackers are essentially wristbands with built-in sensors to record physical activity and heart rate, syncing effortlessly with mobile apps to offer vital fitness and health guidance. The latest Fitbit Sense 2 stands out, promising a battery lifespan of a week and many health monitoring features.
Time-Telling Gadgets Turn Health Saviours: Smart Health Watches
Beyond their initial role of tracking steps and telling time, smartwatches have morphed into powerful healthcare instruments. The Apple Series 8, introduced in 2022, brings various novel health features, while its economic counterpart, the second-gen Apple Watch S.E., delivers superior processing speed and battery life.
Innovative Leap: Wearable ECG Monitors
Standout device Move ECG from Withings, crowned as the best wearable at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, offers the unique function of measuring electrocardiograms (ECGs). It can forward these readings to the user’s physician while tracking a broad range of fitness metrics and detecting atrial fibrillation.
Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors: A Technological Marvel
Omron Healthcare, in 2019, launched HeartGuide, the inaugural wearable blood pressure monitor. Unlike an ordinary smartwatch, HeartGuide can measure blood pressure and daily activities, sharing all data with the HeartAdvisor app for easy user access and analysis.
The Dawn of Biosensors
Philips’ wearable biosensor, a self-sticking patch capable of collecting data on movement, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature, is a game-changer in the wearable medical device sector. Research shows this device can significantly mitigate patient decline into avoidable cardiac or respiratory arrest, underscoring the potential of wearables in enhancing patient results and reducing staff stress.
Forecasting the Journey of Medical Devices
The rapid growth of the wearable healthcare tech industry has set a course for insurers, health providers, and firms to harness the perks of health monitoring gadgets. A 2021 CVS Health Care Insights study revealed that 75% of wearable users affirmed that these devices facilitated better engagement with their health.
Companies are also observing the benefits of providing wearable healthcare tech to their employees, contributing to healthier work environments and lower staff turnover. The usage of wearables among U.S. consumers has increased from 9% to 33% in four years. As sensor accuracy improves and device connectivity broadens, opportunities arise for insurance providers and employers to advocate healthy habits and increase profitability.
