Wearable health monitors and wearable electronic components have significantly revolutionized the health sector especially when it comes to how we monitor and manage health. These technologies are designed to provide a more personalized disease management, remote monitoring capabilities and treatment plans.
These monitors offer a great way to track fitness levels and overall health. The interesting thing about wearable monitors is that they come in simple forms as a pedometer and in complex forms like heart rate monitors which is designed to provide real time feedback. Wearable monitors are constantly evolving and today we have different designs for smartwatches, heart rate monitors, portable medical devices and activity trackers. Also these devices make use of varying technologies to measure heart rate, sleep patterns, activity levels and more.
In this article you will learn about the electronics behind the scenes and the technologies that make wearable health monitors function effectively. Continue reading for more.
Wearable Technology in Healthcare
As mentioned earlier wearable technology are devices that are worn on the body to monitor health by tracking vital data. Initially these devices were designed with focus on utilizing GPS and microprocessing technology for users to easily monitor their daily activities like pace, routes, elevation, speed and distance and monitor their fitness levels.
However technological advancements especially in battery and sensors has triggered the evolution of wearable devices. Today these devices can now be used for monitoring a wide range of medical conditions. They are also be used for more sophisticated measurements like sleep patterns, Pulse oximetry, ECG, blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar and diabetes patches.
Here are some of the wearable monitors that are currently used in the healthcare sector today:
Smartwatches for Health Monitoring
This is one of the most common wearable health monitoring device and it’s designed to provide unique monitoring features for tracking crucial physical health metrics like sleep patterns, activity levels, blood pressures, heart rates and other vital signs. Users of these watches can set alerts or reminders for when they are to keep appointments or take their medications.
The main benefit of these smartwatches is that they allow the wearer to stay proactive especially when it comes to their health. Also the data collected by these smartwatches can be effectively transferred to a physician or other healthcare professionals.
Wearable ECG Monitors
Wearable ECG monitors come in the form of smartwaches or patches that they are designed to detect atrial fibrillation. The device also tracks the heart rhythm and heart rate as well as draws the user attention to unusually changes thereby facilitating quick medical interventions.
Wearable Fitness Trackers
This are also common and equipped with sensors even though they are compact wristband devices. The sensors on these devices allows for monitoring of heart rate, blood oxygen levels, respiration, stress levels and the physical activity of the user.
Smart Clothing
This is also known as integrative activewear and they utilize sensors that are woven into washable fabrics to offer a comfortable and convenient experience for the user while eliminating the need for extra accessories or devices. Smart clothing are sued for promoting wellness and also to analyze physical activity.
Wearable Glucose Monitors
For diabetic patients the frequent act of pricking the fingers when taking measurements with conventional glucose monitors is not always convenient. However there are now wearable technologies like innovative test patches that eliminate the need to prick the finger while effectively taking measurements of glucose levels. These patches are simply applied on the skin and connected to a smartphone where necessary measurements are taken.
The Technologies Behind Wearable Health Monitors
Here’s an overview of the technologies behind these health monitors:
GPS
This technology enhances location tracking even in cases where you are not with your smartphone like when running. With the GPS tracker in the wearable device you can easily determine the distance you have covered and the speed you move with during your workout session either at the park or at the gym.
Accelerometer
Accelerometers are sensors that are designed to take measurements of the movement of the wearer. They are also designed to effectively detect when the wearer is sitting, standing still, running or walking. These sensors are utilized in fitness trackers and a host of other wearable devices to determine the level of activity of the wearer all day.
Key Benefits of Wearable Healthcare Monitors
The impact of wearable health monitors cannot be overemphasized especially for the healthcare professionals and the medical sector as a while. These monitors empower patients and professionals with a wide range of data that helps in the identification of medical conditions even at the very early stages.
Some of the key benefits of wearable healthcare monitors include the following:
- Increased Prevention and Early Detection: Wearable technology allows for continuous monitoring for earlier diagnosis and predictive analysis of different medical conditions including asthma, diabetes and heart diseases.
- Expanded Personalized Treatments: The devices allow medical practitioners to collect data, monitor patients and offer personalized treatment plans based on the lifestyle, conditions and needs of the patient.
- Enhanced Remote Patient Monitoring: These medical devices allow for more convenient and practical remote monitoring to further improve patient compliance. This comes in handy in cases where patients are in remote settings or even for geriatric patients with movement concerns.
- Increased Promotion of Healthier Lifestyles: The biofeedback of wearable technologies serves as a source of motivation to patients because it encourages them to make healthier habits and better life choices. This further helps patients to easily avoid certain medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
Over the past few years wearable health monitors have experienced a significant level of adoption across the world. With that it is clear that the technology will soon become used by everyone including professionals athletes and people with certain medical conditions. Today the devices are not restricted to the wrist alone but they can now be word on various body part and sed to monitor body temperature, stress levels, breathing and heart rate making it easier for people to live healthy lives.
