Smart Fitness Trackers: Benefits to the Healthcare Industry

Retailers have their POS systems. Restaurants with table-top ordering and with fitness, it’s smart fitness trackers. Healthcare wearable technology has been the rising trend for the past few years, and it keeps climbing. Most people recognize them for their consumer-facing capabilities. Mainly step counters or watches like Jawbone that target professional athletes. But what are their benefits to professionals in health care, like doctors or personal trainers?

Healthcare Wearable Technology for Consumers

For starters, smart fitness trackers have evolved from simple step-counts. The most high-tech have countless sensors that measure your body’s health, from heart and respiratory rates to galvanic skin response (tracking when a person sweats). These sensors attract and record data, with potential feedback. With galvanic skin response, the watch determines not only when a person sweats and how much, but distinguishes under what circumstances based on environmental cues. Even accelerometers- the devices that measure your steps- has grown increasingly advanced by measuring orientation [of the watch] and acceleration force, with 3-axis that allows it to measure the user’s position from three dimensions. All of this can be translated to usable data that helps regulate your health.

Fitness Data for Healthcare Professionals

For doctors and physicians, this data comes in handy when treating patients. It’s easily accessible, track their behaviors and establish strict schedules for treatments or medicine. They can even help track a patient’s healthy routines by seeing their diet habits and exercise periods. Healthcare wearable technology also has a place in hospitals. London’s Royal Free Hospital, for instance, developed an to identify patients who are at the largest risk of sudden or fatal loss of kidney functions. This saves nurses a lot of time in how they care for patients, and to identify when a patient is making a downturn.

Other professionals, like personal trainers, will benefit from smart fitness trackers. Not only is it a tool to keep one’s self in shape, but they could also use to keep tabs on their clients’ behaviors outside of session. Apps help devise workout clients’ use beyond the training. They provide a better communication channel between trainer and client and allow trainers to adjust their own schedules on the fly.

All in all, smart fitness trackers and other wearable technology promotes better health outcomes. They provide essential data to healthcare professionals to more easily help their clients, along with providing guidance in maintaining a healthy daily routine and establishing a desire to use those tools.

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