How Is Wearable Technology Changing The Medical Industry Today?
Only a few short years ago, we were introduced to personal wearable technology that could track our footsteps. Today, we’ve moved beyond the traditional step tracker to wearable tech that can detect our heart rate and other important vitals. Wearable technology is transforming the medical industry, one high-end gadget at a time.
Doctor-prescribed wearables
By integrating current wearable technology into their practices, physicians can send their patients home with medical devices to track activity and other factors. Before the rise of medical tech, doctors had to trust that the information given to them by their patients was accurate. Now, they can simply look at the data collected on the device they’ve provided to their patients. This allows the physician to see exactly what kind of activity the patient is doing and even how their heart is responding to the exercise.
Going beyond activity tracking
Wearables can measure a patient’s caloric intake and monitor other lifestyle factors like smoking and alcohol consumption. Wearable technology can also provide doctors with valuable information to help patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure. When the patient wears the tech, they allow the doctor to monitor their symptoms in real time and help with better diagnosis and prevention of outbreaks. There also exist wearables like high-tech knee braces that give doctors a glimpse into joint function and can provide management solutions. In addition, quit-smoking aids can now be worn that use sensors to detect changes in the body when someone is craving a cigarette. Then the device administers medication to curb the craving. You can also wear smart contacts that are engineered to measure the glucose levels in your tears if you are a diabetic. The same contacts can also be used to eliminate the need for glasses because they restore the eye’s natural autofocus. Finally, a smart bra has been created that helps women keep track of their breast health. Through sensors embedded in the bra, it is able to note conditions and rhythms within the breast tissue and detect if cancer might emerge.
Wearable technology is taking the medical industry by storm. Judging by the number of wearable health devices that are currently on the market, it seems like we are headed for a more technology-inclusive industry that helps patients take more control over their health while giving doctors valuable insights daily.