Wearable technology could enhance patient care
Until recently, the term “wearable technology” would have been unfamiliar to many. But today, wearables are proving popular in the consumer fitness market, and there’s great potential for this technology to advance patient care in hospitals too.
The latest devices on the high-street deliver basic health-related data, tracking things like step count, heart rate and quality of sleep. These days, it’s not unusual to see people comparing their health data with one another on their smartphones. But users could soon be sharing their results with their doctor too.
Sensors within the most advanced wearable devices can convert a biological reaction to an electrical pulse to track patients’ vital signs. This can then provide digitised data to support care by sending alerts to health professionals. It could even be used to trigger a delivery of medicine from a pharmacy.
There are already some exciting pieces of wearable health tech on the market. ADAMM, made by Health Care Originals, provides a complete solution for managing asthma. This device tracks cough counts, wheezing and heart rate, for example, as well as providing medication reminders. HealthPatch MD, by VitalConnect, is a biosensor suitable for both in- and out-patients who need to track their heart activity. And, in collaboration with the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis, Google have created Smart Contact Lenses, which are used to measure the glucose content in the eyes of people suffering from diabetes.
With automated data gathering like this, monitoring patients could become far easier. Whilst most of this data-driven technology could be used by out-patients in everyday life, it could also play a significant role in hospital care.