By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Life Expectancies and Lethal Injections
    May 6, 2015
    The Future of Healthcare and Big Pharma is in Big Data Analytics
    February 5, 2021
    Financial Assistance for Clinical Trials
    September 16, 2015
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How Wearable Tech Insights Are Improving Healthcare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > How Wearable Tech Insights Are Improving Healthcare
Mobile HealthTechnology

How Wearable Tech Insights Are Improving Healthcare

Larry Alton
Larry Alton
Share
6 Min Read
How Wearable Tech Insights Are Improving Healthcare
SHARE

  Wearable tech has come a long way from the days of pedometers. Consumers now have an array of smart tools to boost quality of life, detect disease, and manage chronic conditions. All told, 225 million such devices will be sold this year. Although smartwatches represent more than a third of wearable spending, they’re actually the least interesting segment of the market. To get a glimpse of what wearables can do and where they’re headed, look to the medical market. Doctors and patients are using them to:

Contents
  • 1. Transition from episodic to continuous care.
  • 2. Minimize invasive procedures.
  • 3. Detect disease earlier.
  • 4. Provide prevention reminders.
  • 5. Support people with disabilities.

1. Transition from episodic to continuous care.

Until recently, patients with heart failure were sent home from the hospital with two things: a prescription and a checkup date. Whether the drugs were working wasn’t apparent until patients returned to their doctor weeks or months later. The shift toward value-based care has led providers to use wearables for continuous at-home monitoring. In conjunction with Mercy Virtual, population health management startup Myia Health has developed a kit for patients with chronic conditions like heart failure, COPD, and hypertension. The kit contains home hub tablet, a connected blood pressure cuff, a smart ring for measuring physical activity, and more. Then, from a connected dashboard, doctors can monitor patients using Myia’s technology for signs of worsening amongst their patients. Biometrics like heart rate, respiratory rate, and even motion or gait during walking are all indicative of a patient’s individual health status. As Myia collects more information, the system will only continuously learn and get better.

2. Minimize invasive procedures.

Because diabetics’ blood-glucose levels can change rapidly, they have to take measurements multiple times per day. The experience is painful, easy to forget, and in social situations, embarrassing. Although many diabetics still monitor their blood-glucose concentration with meters that draw blood, researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology have developed a wearable solution: a smart contact lens that can detect glucose levels in patients’ tears. Any procedure that draws blood is dangerous. Wounds get infected. Especially when conducted at the hospital, they often require the attention of expensive specialists. Expect invasive procedures to be a hot target for wearables in the coming years.

3. Detect disease earlier.

With many cancers, the difference between life and death is how early it’s detected. Sadly, it’s often too late once a tumor becomes painful or visible to the naked eye. After his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Julián Ríos Cantú co-founded Higia Technologies at the age of 18. Higia has developed a bra insert that uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to detect abnormalities in breast tissue. Discreet enough to be worn with most bras, the inserts look for tissue temperature and density changes over time, Many doctors recommend that women get annual mammograms after age 45. But mammograms are notorious for false negatives, and time-point assessments mean breast cancer may go undetected for months. Wearables could provide a key breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

More Read

The Vatican Invests in Stem Cell Company
A Whole New Way To Look At Medicine And Healthcare Innovation
Digital Health Activities of Online Moms
The Rise Of eHealth: Staying Relevant In The Digital Healthcare Paradigm
Calling for More Than an Ounce of Prevention

4. Provide prevention reminders.

Try as we might, most of us engage in behaviors we know are bad for our health. We eat fast food. We sit for extended periods of time. We drink too much alcohol. One behavior that skincare company L’Oreal is hoping to head off is sun overexposure. Its UV Sense wearable contains a battery-free sensor that detects ultraviolet radiation from the user’s thumbnail. Wearable for up to two weeks at a time, UV Sense shows users when and how much UV light they’re exposed to. In the future, patients with livers damaged by alcohol may use wearables that act like miniature breathalyzer, warning them whenever they take a drink. Already, certain fitness wearables remind users to get up and move if they’ve sat for too long.

5. Support people with disabilities.

Hearing aids were some of the first healthcare-specific wearables on the market. But for people with other sensory disabilities, wearable solutions have been slow to materialize. One startup improving quality of life for blind and sight-limited individuals is Aira. Aira combines augmented eyeglasses with guide services, helping people who can’t see know what’s ahead of them. Aira assistants can peer through the camera to help users read signs and open doors. Sensor-embedded suits may someday prevent people with tactile disabilities from accidentally injuring themselves. Wearables that analyze the air may warn people who’ve lost their sense of smell of things like gas leaks. The way patients receive care is changing. Wearable technologies are making it cheaper, easier, and less dangerous to manage chronic conditions. And for the patients who rely on them, they’re nothing short of life-changing.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Children & Telehealth

February 22, 2011

Is Technology a Cost Driver or a Cost Saver in Health Care?

June 12, 2011

Carl June and Me

September 14, 2011
BusinessTechnologyWellness

Is My Medicine on the Prescription Drug Formulary?

June 23, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?