Wearable Tech: A Health Revolution or Just Hype?
Examining the Skepticism of Doctors Towards Health Data from Wearables
The wearable technology industry, led by devices like smartwatches and smart rings, is a booming market focused on health tracking, claiming to accurately monitor exercise, heart rate, and other health metrics.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting suggested distributing wearables to NHS patients to monitor symptoms like cancer treatment reactions from home.
Despite this, many doctors and tech experts are cautious about the reliance on health data from wearables.
Dr. Jake Deutsch, a US clinician, believes wearables help assess overall health, but Dr. Helen Salisbury, a GP in Oxford, voices concerns about the potential for over-monitoring and creating hypochondria.
She notes that many abnormal readings don't require medical attention, and the psychological assurance from constant monitoring is limited, as severe conditions like cancer can't necessarily be detected by these devices.
Dr. Yang Wei from Nottingham Trent University highlights technical challenges like data accuracy due to device movement and battery limitations.
Instances of false alerts, such as Ben Wood's unnecessary Apple Watch crash notification, illustrate reliability issues.
Despite these challenges, Pritesh Mistry from the Kings Fund acknowledges the potential benefits of wearables for decentralizing healthcare.
However, he emphasizes the need for foundational technology infrastructure and skills within the workforce to integrate patient-generated data effectively.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting suggested distributing wearables to NHS patients to monitor symptoms like cancer treatment reactions from home.
Despite this, many doctors and tech experts are cautious about the reliance on health data from wearables.
Dr. Jake Deutsch, a US clinician, believes wearables help assess overall health, but Dr. Helen Salisbury, a GP in Oxford, voices concerns about the potential for over-monitoring and creating hypochondria.
She notes that many abnormal readings don't require medical attention, and the psychological assurance from constant monitoring is limited, as severe conditions like cancer can't necessarily be detected by these devices.
Dr. Yang Wei from Nottingham Trent University highlights technical challenges like data accuracy due to device movement and battery limitations.
Instances of false alerts, such as Ben Wood's unnecessary Apple Watch crash notification, illustrate reliability issues.
Despite these challenges, Pritesh Mistry from the Kings Fund acknowledges the potential benefits of wearables for decentralizing healthcare.
However, he emphasizes the need for foundational technology infrastructure and skills within the workforce to integrate patient-generated data effectively.
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