Challenges of Using Healthcare Wearable Technology

Healthcare wearable technology offers real-time insights into individual health, upending the traditional healthcare delivery model where health metrics were only measured during in-person medical appointments. With these tools, healthcare consumers and providers can continuously track those metrics, enabling informed decision-making around health and fitness. However, healthcare wearable technology utilization has challenges and concerns that must be addressed as the tools are integrated into patient care.Healthcare wearable technologies are electronic devices worn on the body that measure health-related metrics, like heart rate and daily activity. They include smartwatches, sensors, clothing and fitness trackers. These technologies offer a wide array of benefits, including encouraging healthier habits and lifestyles, personalizing treatment and improving diagnostics.

Medigy Insights

The digital divide -- the gap between those with access to technology and the digital literacy to use it -- is a common barrier to healthcare technology utilization. The barrier extends to healthcare wearable devices, with one survey showing that one in five patients finds using their devices challenging.The survey, conducted in January 2022, polled 450 U.S. patients who used medically prescribed wearable devices. Though a majority of survey respondents (86%) said that wearable devices improved their health and quality of life, 20% said that their wearable device was hard to use.

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