The Rise of Wearables in Healthcare

It’s no surprise that wearable technology is on the rise in fashion and fitness, but did you know it’s now sweeping the healthcare industry? 

Wearable technology includes devices like Apple’s smartwatch, Fitbit’s fitness tracker and now Consensus Orthopedics’ TracPatch. These devices typically attach to the body and track fitness activity while connected to the user’s smartphone. However, devices like TracPatch have an entirely unique purpose. They make it possible for total knee replacement patients to have an enhanced recovery and doctors to treat their patients in an entirely new and more connected way.  

Thomas M. Krummel, M.D., Emile Holman Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and Surgeon in Chief at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, discusses how wearable technology in the healthcare industry is on the rise. Dr. Krummel notes that “the general principle of ubiquitous wearable computers bodes well for our future ability to measure, track, and understand patient physiological data and behavior both in the hospital and at home.”¹ One of the greatest benefits of wearable technology in the healthcare industry is that it’s a tool that healthcare providers use to stay connected to a patient’s recovery.  Wearable devices, specifically TracPatch, provide the healthcare market with evidence-based care, data analytics, and remote monitoring. They’re useful because doctors can look at a patient’s recovery progress and make informed short-term and long-term care decisions as well as make custom patient goals ultimately optimizing patient outcomes. 

However, these devices are not only useful for patients and surgeons but hospitals as well. Dr. Krummel points out that “in 2015, an article in The Economist² predicted by 2020 that 80% of the adult population of the world would have a smartphone in their pocket. This opens up an entirely new world of real-time data acquisition, monitoring, and intervention.”¹ This is great news for hospitals that are looking to facilitate a new kind of communication and centralize care data while increasing overall productivity and removing system inefficiencies.  

While it’s sometimes easier to resist change in the beginning, ultimately, beneficial technology will always be implemented in the end. Dr. Krummel notes that “once upon a time, not so long ago, a woman went to an obstetrician to get a pregnancy test—no longer. Such “democratization” seems destined to continue and accelerate.”¹ Similarly, a limitless future lies ahead for wearable devices in the healthcare industry. TracPatch is leading the way. 

References 

1. Krummel, T. M. (2019, February 01). The Rise of Wearable Technology in Health Care. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2723404 
2. Planet of the phones. (2015, February 26). Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://www.economist.com/leaders/2015/02/26/planet-of-the-phones