Is Wearable Technology The Future Of Healthcare?

As with everything else in the world, the technological advancements that have been made in the health sector over the past ten years have been tremendous. Decades ago, no one would have thought that devices that can track how many calories you’re burning, measure your heart rate or how much sleep you’re getting will exist, but here we are.

With the rise of new experimental wearable technology that claims to help posture, fix sleeping cycles and even help regulate body temperature, here are a couple of reasons why wearable technology might rule the health sector in the coming years.

Makes users more proactive about health
For a lot of people, healthcare is reactive. Until something is actively wrong or noticed, most people just go about their daily lives in their usual routine.

With wearable technology, your body is under constant monitoring and that could lead to more proactive healthcare. Instead of waiting until something is obviously wrong, users can track and make the necessary adjustments to lifestyle and diet.

Gives health a personal feel

Wearable technology keeps its users constantly engaged and updated with their health status, which gives health a more personal touch. On some level, healthcare can tend to feel external especially if, at that moment, nothing feels or seems wrong.

This feeling also contributes to the reasons why people tend to forget doctors’ appointments, particularly when it’s just a routine checkup. With wearable technology and its constant updates and suggestions, users are involved in their wellbeing all the time and that is a huge advantage.

Can be used to monitor ill and vulnerable patients

This is particularly useful for patients or family members who are ill and need constant monitoring. Wearable technology makes it easier to keep track of their state of health and might be the difference between life and death in times of emergency.

It is also used to monitor kids and aged family members who might not be ill but need to be looked after because of their age group. This helps hospitals and healthcare professionals sleep easy because the number of patients they need to actively monitor at the hospital reduces.

Helps improve safety and reduce risks

Safety is a primary aspect of living a healthy life and wearable technology takes this into account. This applies a lot more to users who are into fitness training because as much as working out is great, it’s also important to know when to relax and take a break.

The devices constantly keep track of the user’s progress at every point and create plans for rests and stop to reduce health risks.


Multifunctional and limitless

With the invention of new devices every day, the functional capabilities of wearable technology are almost innumerable. From general consumer devices to specialised devices tailored to specific needs, there is a wide range of devices in existence today.

Examples include wearable bio-sensors used to monitor heart rate and respiratory rate, devices that continuously monitor glucose levels using a sensor placed under the skin and connected to a smartphone for diabetic patients; electronic smart hearing aids are also becoming popular.

The Guardian