Real-time data pushes wearables in health care, research shows

In its recent report, entitled "Future Wearables in Healthcare -- R&D Portfolio Areas and Technology Roadmapping”, Frost & Sullivan finds comfort, convenience and ease of use are the top priorities for wearable users in health care.

Utilising wearables​

Frost & Sullivan delves into the market dynamics, research and development (R&D) opportunities, adoption drivers, technology trends and challenges for health care wearable devices.

Through this research, it identified electronic skin, smart gloves, glucose sweat sensors and smart clothing as amongst the core areas of interest for development within the sector.

This increased interest in wearables for health and wellness stems from the “need for more data about the current and future condition of individuals and patients”, ​Frost & Sullivan revealed in its recent press release.  

Looking ahead, brands are set to explore the “commercialisation and embedding of wearables in skin patches, clothing, and electronic skins”.​

Personalised knowledge​

"To optimise opportunities in wearables for health care, technology developers or providers should focus on designing wearable products that are comfortable and convenient,"​ said Peter Adrian, TechVision Principal Analyst, Frost & Sullivan.

"The device should provide accurate, reliable, real-time data, and data transmission capabilities without requiring the user to have expertise in wearable sensing or communications technology.” ​

There are a key number of considerations that the industry as a whole and developers must consider when developing wearable devices and tools within the industry. The choice of material used is one of these, as brands head towards the use of soft, flexible and stretchable sensing materials that provide optimum comfort to the wearer.

Data applications​

In its global industry study, Frost & Sullivan found that to succeed in the health care wearables ecosystem, industry insiders need to concentrate on providing data that integrates with a data management system that can provide a personalised approach to health care.

Data-as-a-service will also fuel this growth, as the wearables industry seeks to provide accuracy and sensitivity, along with prioritising specific wellness-related applications.

"Wearables can provide health care professionals with insights into a patient's health."​ With this said, looking ahead, “systems need to be developed that support the integration, adoption, privacy and security of data from wearables,"​ continued Adrian.

"It can take a significant effort for health care organisations to incorporate actionable data from wearables into the organisation's data collection and storage systems,"​ Adrian concluded.