TL/DR –
The adoption of wearable technology in healthcare has been slow, despite the potential to transform how patients understand their health, with the sector yet to be widely accepted as a monitoring tool for aspects such as sleep patterns, blood pressure or menstrual cycles. Several issues are cited as reasons for this, including a lack of training for healthcare providers in how to analyse the data generated by devices, a lack of communication between tech companies and healthcare providers, high prices and a desire for proof that the data is accurate and can effect a change in patient behaviour. Shyamal Patel, head of science at ŌURA, stressed the need for “strong partnerships” between stakeholders to ensure the technology was focused on improving health outcomes.
Slow Adoption of Wearable Health Technologies: Challenges and Potential
Despite the potential of wearable technologies like fitness trackers and smartwatches to revolutionize patient care, their adoption in the healthcare sector remains sluggish. The technology could enable patients to monitor key health parameters such as sleep patterns, blood pressure, or menstrual cycles even outside of medical appointments.
Healthcare professionals Shyamal Patel and Dr. David Agus, participating in the TIME100 Health Leadership Forum in New York City, explored the challenges and possibilities of integrating such emerging technologies into healthcare. They highlighted the lack of widespread adoption of wearable tech in healthcare, despite its potential to transform patient understanding and management of their health.
One of the primary obstacles, according to Agus, co-CEO of the Ellison Institute of Technology, is the unpreparedness of healthcare providers to interpret the data these devices generate. Patel, head of science at ŌURA, concurred, emphasizing the need for healthcare professionals to become adept at making sense of continuous health data, such as blood pressure measurements.
Another issue is the gap in communication between health tech companies and healthcare providers. Patel noted that aligning the interests of payers, providers, patients, and health tech companies is crucial to driving better health outcomes.
The Way Forward for Wearable Tech in Health
Agus pointed to several impediments to the broader adoption of wearable tech, such as high prices, lack of insurance reimbursement codes, and the need for more studies validating the accuracy of the data and its impact on patient behavior. He emphasized the need for interventions linked to health outcomes and called on companies to invest in studies demonstrating their technology’s potential to impact patient outcomes positively.
While wearable technologies have made significant strides over the past decade, there is ample room for growth. Patel mentioned the two-pronged evolution of health tech: improving the technology itself and integrating it effectively into healthcare practice.
The discussion took place at the TIME100 Health Leadership Forum, sponsored by Merck, Deloitte, ŌURA, and PhRMA.
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