Whether they are personal devices that fulfil a user’s needs, such as fitness trackers or even fashion gadgets like rings and wristwatches, or specialised medical tools for the diagnosis of diseases such as heart arrhythmias (AFib), wearable tech plays an important role in the direction of the goals of a more personalised, precise, person-centred medicine. These include making sure that different users have access to healthcare services that are tailored for them, as outlined in several policy initiatives such as the Thirteenth General Programme of Work of the World Health Organisation (Blanton, 2022).
Wearables can help with early diagnosis which can make a major difference in terms of reducing mortality and improving the efficacy of treatment, alleviating pressure on the health sector meaning more manpower and resources can be directed towards more acute cases. They can also improve behaviour modification by encouraging physical activity, healthy eating and more restful sleep. Moreover, they can help with monitoring a variety of health metrics and assist in the management of chronic conditions.
However, despite their many advantages, the use of wearables in healthcare has to be carefully planned and executed. It is crucial that the users of such devices are aware of and understand the data they are generating, how it will be used and who they will share it with. The way in which these devices are designed makes this difficult, as only limited information is available on the device itself. This lack of contextual information can make it hard to interpret and use the collected data for meaningful action and can ultimately lead to the technology being abandoned.