Health Wearable Technology

One of my more tech-savvy partners recently showed me his new Apple Watch and, instinctively, it raised questions in my mind as to how would HIPAA impact the use of this watch. One might ask why I would ask such a question, and two possible answers exist. The first possible answer is that my healthcare practice has engulfed my thinking or the second possible answer is that the features of this new Apple Watch may be the linchpin to a whole new culture in this mobile health industry. Time may determine which answer is correct, but the new Apple Watch does have some interesting features that will, at a minimum, impact the mobile healthcare industry. Among the Apple Watch, the HealthKit app., and the ResearchKit software (launched in April 2015), Apple has introduced some interesting “tools” for the healthcare marketplace for the consumer and for the provider and possibly other vendors.

Today, consumers can buy wristbands that count steps and track sleep, athletic shoes that monitor fitness, watches that double as phones, and smart glasses that function as a computer or GPS. Fitbits and apple watches are two of the most popular wearable technology in 2016 (according to www.cnet.com).

Adults age 65 years and older make up around 13 percent of the population (39 million people). This number is likely to increase significantly over the next 30+ years to encompass about 20 percent of the population (88.5 million). It is gathered that about 1 in 10 adults age 65

Fitbit is a great wearable device that helps people maintain their health, and it works great as a fitness tracker. “Perhaps you have an autoimmune disease and have been required by your doctor to increase your level of fitness for health reasons. Thankfully, Fitbit is here to help you stay fit and help you with exercise” (5). Before Fitbit, you had to put big wires on your wrist and then exercise to be able to monitor your heart rate or to know how many calories you burnt during the day or work out. But now the monitoring occurs with a small wearable wrist device.

The objective of this paper is to introduce an extensive review of the Fitbit product evolution and marketing strategy as it relates to consumer demand and gained revenue. The Fitbit Tracker, released in December 2009, was the first of many Fitbit products. The latest models include the Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Aria smart scale, Fitbit Alta, Fitbit Surge, Fitbit Charge, and the Fitbit Flex. The Fitbit is a wireless enabled wearable fitness tracking device with an intuitive user interface. The Fitbit competes with other brand models such

Picture this in you head, a wristband any color from blue to yellow and wearing it wherever you go to benefit the body. Well that time is now, because in the early 2016 Oral Roberts University made it a requirement for all freshmen’s to wear Fitbit to help maintain health fitness and personal information. The university concludes it’s a physical education course that will notify what kind of activity the students will be doing in and out of the campus. By doing so, most undergrads are tracked by how much they eat, sleep, and walk over 10,000 steps. Thanks to this technology, more and more people are participating in this program to exercise right and being well fit. Some viewers believe that wearing the Fitbit is a significant thing to the campus, but there is a huge disadvantage of what it can do.

Patient wearables offer an excellent example of this new doctor/patient partnership. Patients can not only be monitored by their physicians, they can monitor themselves as wearables present not only data concerning heart rate and blood pressure, but personal information regarding everything from diet to the quality of last night’s sleep. This brings the patient into the loop and encourages him or her to take more responsibility.

are five to nine year olds and sixty to sixty four year olds as stated by Christina A. Nelson, who

This research proposal explores scholarly journals, internet articles, and my personal thoughts and ideas on the smartwatch, fitness band, and wearable market segment. I am proposing to obtain research on whether or not the Microsoft Band among other smart wrist wearables are currently and, if so, will continue to be desirable technological advancements in the market.

This technological advancement facilitates the potential use of a \ac{WHTD} as a solution to relieve the burden on the health care system. The \ac{WHTD} refers to the devices which are capable of monitoring the physiological signs (e.g., heart activity, \ac{ECG}, \ac{EMG}, blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen saturation, etc.) of the human body and its surrounding environment (e.g., light, humidity, temperature, etc.) using a number of sensors located on or/and in the human body using \ac{BAN} \cite{movassaghi2014wireless,bangash2014survey,jovanov2011body}. This has been employed in various applications, such as military and sports training, \ac{HCI}, entertainment (interactive gaming), home and office automation, environmental monitoring, and \ac{VR}. It has also shown a tremendous potential as a personal healthcare system, which can provide services such as remote patient and elderly people monitoring, activity monitoring, rehabilitation, and disability assistance services as these devices can monitor health status seamlessly in real-time without disturbing users daily life. Consequently, major \ac{ICT} companies are introducing various wearable devices and services with Personalised Health Data management systems. Apple iWatch with HealthKit, Samsung Galaxy fit and Samsung Digital Health, and Google Fit are some of the

A procedure that in the past ten years with technology and advancements in medicine is now considered a routine outpatient procedure. Not long ago, people started wearing wristbands that recorded the number of steps they took, their heart rates and sleep cycles. But if the now-ubiquitous bands and accompanying apps that stored biorhythms started out as novelties, they paved the way for a new generation of gadgets that have become serious tools to improve health care delivery and outcomes. These newfangled contraptions will change how and where care is delivered and will enable providers to stay continuously connected with patients wherever they may be — or at least connected to the devices that indicate whether a patient is abiding by prescription

The technology that I personally find beneficial at work is the sensor and wearable technology that is used to reduce patients fall. One of the biggest concern for hospitals and health care facilities is the risk of fall. Often, insurance companies, or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services don’t pay any cost related to fall. When a patient falls, it becomes the hospital or the health care facility responsibility. The nurse in charge has to write incident report, and take the patient to CT scan if possible. Fall is a major threat to the health of older people and it can be devastating, deadly, and costly. According to CDC, (2008), “in 2000, in 2000, direct medical costs for fatal and nonfatal fall injuries totaled $19 billion”. Sensors

Expected technological advancements in health products are likely to contribute to greater spending on health. The FitBit as a technological health device shall greatly meet local consumer’s needs.

In the article “Like It Or Not, Personal Health Technology Is Getting Smarter,” Angus Chen states that personal health tracking devices are becoming more popular each year. The list of devices being creating is also growing, giving consumers more of a choice when coming to monitoring their health.

Wearable Technology is one of the many innovative devices used to achieve goals, manage money, and stay organized. Technology aims to create innovative ideas for not only these aspects, but to also help people become aware of their health. Starting in the year 2015, Ochsner Health System began asking entrepreneurs nationwide, to submit suggestions on possible wearable technology, that may ameliorate how patients monitor diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. Ochsner's chief clinical transformation officer, Richard Milani, discovered Louisiana is fifth in the nation for rates of heart disease and diabetes. With a number so high ranked in the nation, Milani believes this makes Louisiana the ideal place for testing new technology,