Powering the wearables of the future

By Stephen Las Marias for EET Asia – Wearable healthcare devices continue to add more clinical sensing capabilities, allowing more comprehensive remote patient monitoring solutions.

New innovations in vital signs sensing are accelerating the availability of patient data to ensure a more holistic approach to healthcare. Wearable healthcare devices continue to add more clinical sensing capabilities, allowing more comprehensive remote patient monitoring solutions.

Worldwide, healthcare costs continue to grow at a higher rate than inflation, with a total spend currently at $9 trillion worldwide. Increased remote patient monitoring reduces costs as well as improve short- and long-term outcomes, improving overall quality of life.

According to Andrew Baker, Managing Director of Healthcare, Industrial & Healthcare Business Unit, at Analog Devices Inc., healthcare delivery has traditionally been centralized at a care facility. Patients must travel there for any kind of monitoring or treatment. This may consist of long-distance travel, and inconvenience due to work and family care commitments.

“Decentralized healthcare delivers convenience, as remote monitoring does not necessitate travel and individuals can go about their daily lives with very little to no disruption,” says Baker. “Continuous remote monitoring increases the chance of early detection, improving the chance of successful treatment and better outcomes.” And better outcomes translate to lower overall cost of healthcare delivery, and happier, healthier patients… Full article