Potential of wearable health devices grows

Still in their infancy, wearable health devices offer pharmacists an opportunity to be on the frontlines of what many feel could be an essential part of health care’s future.

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Suppliers and healthcare analysts say that pharmacists are well positioned to be the go-to healthcare professionals to help patients make the most of the data that these devices record, ensuring that the information collected is used to prevent illness and drive outcomes.



As technology companies have delved deeper into health and wellness, the market has seen the development of wearable devices that do everything from monitor activity and sleep patterns to detect body temperature, heart rate, hydration levels and a range of other essential body functions.



Utilizing sophisticated analytic software, these devices let consumers manage their health while giving healthcare providers a powerful tool to monitor (often remotely) patients’ health, improve their care and reduce costs.



In addition, the data collected from wearables allow members of a patient’s healthcare team to meet the growing need to prove that their efforts are driving outcomes.



The potential of wearable devices to revolutionize the way health care is provided across the entire healthcare system is fueling investment in digital health and wearable technology with some forecasters predicting that the market will show huge growth over the next few years. Some estimates said the global market for wearables could expand by as much as 30% a year through 2019.



One of the reasons for the optimism about the vast potential of wearable devices to change the way health care is provided can be found with the number of potential new users for these devices. In a survey of 1,000 patients conducted last summer, PricewaterhouseCoopers found that only 1-in-5 adults in the United States owns a wearable health device and only 1-in-10 use that device every day.