Newest Medical Monitoring and Wearable Health Technology Trends

Increasing demand for wearables has created a booming market, and now insurers and companies see the value in offering employees and consumers wearable health technology.

FREMONT, CA: Wearable fitness technology has permeated society to the point where smartwatches are considered mainstream, and the future of wearable gadgets shows no signs of slowing down.

In the past four years, wearable technology has more than tripled, driven by consumers' growing desire to observe their health and track their vital signs. Insider Intelligence research indicates that more than 80 percent of consumers are willing to wear fitness technology.

This increased desire for wearables has developed a thriving market, and insurers and businesses are beginning to recognize the benefits of providing wearable health technologies to customers and employees.

Wearable technology in healthcare involves electronic gadgets that people can wear, such as Fitbits and smartwatches, and are designed to collect information on users' personal health and physical activity. These devices can even transmit the user's health data to a physician or other healthcare expert in real-time. Increasingly, people are interested in sharing their wearable data with their providers and insurers

, which will increase demand for wearables.

With the advancement of wearable technology and consumers' growing desire to take control of their health, the medical industry has developed more wearable devices such as Fitbits, smartwatches, and wearable monitors.

Wearable ECG Monitors: Wearable ECG monitors are at the forefront of consumer electronics, and their ability to measure electrocardiograms, or ECGs, distinguishes them from smartwatches. Business Insider stated that Withings' Move ECG gadget won the best wearable at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.

The Move ECG can measure an electrocardiogram, transmit the reading to the user's physician, and detect atrial fibrillation. In addition to measuring pace, distance, and elevation, it automatically tracks walking, running, swimming, and cycling.

Biosensors: Unlike wrist trackers and smartwatches, biosensors are an emerging type of wearable medical technology that is radically distinct from wrist trackers. The wearable biosensor from Philips is a self-adhesive patch that enables patients to move while collecting information on their movement, heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature.

According to research conducted at Augusta University Medical Center, this wearable gadget reduced patient progression into avoidable cardiac or respiratory arrest by 89 percent. This highlights the potential for wearables to enhance patient outcomes and minimize staff strain.