Wearable Medical Devices 101

Medical Trends

BY JORGE A CEVALLOS, MD

22/01/2022

Do you own the latest smart watch? Even if you do not, it is very likely that you know someone who does. Let us take a moment to realize that the medical device industry is taking the world of healthcare by storm. This is a potentially disruptive range of technologies that will undoubtedly re-shape healthcare in the near and long-term feature.

For an example at hand, let us look at continuous glucose monitoring devices, which together with wearable insulin, have already revolutionized diabetes management as they rival traditional blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery (1).

This objective of this post is to offer an introduction to the topics that will be covered in a series of in the near future. For starters, topics covered will include geographical market share of companies such as Abbott, Medtronic PLC, General Electric Co., Thync Inc., Siemens Healthineers AG, VivoSensMedical GmbH, and more.

At this moment, several wearable medical devices, and technologies still in development and testing, with others in the pipeline. What is its probability of successful commercialization and adoption by physicians and customers?

We will investigate the current structure of the medical device and diagnostics industry, and characterize substantial investment in each identified area.

These technologies have a diverse range of potential applications including obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cardiac diseases, mental health, and monitoring of progressive nervous system disorders such as Parkinson´s (1).

Will this be a double-digit, triple-digit growth of the industry? How much will it grow and what is driving its growth? Well, for starters, a worldwide increase in geriatric population added to developments in health tracking, remote patient monitoring, convenience of home healthcare, and a booming personal fitness trend are driving its growth (1). The capacity of these smart devices to be customized and their non-invasive nature make them even more attractive (2).

What about the uncertainties? Key concerns include data privacy, security, and an uncertain regulatory landscape. ISO standard compliance will be a key characteristic, along with addressing the high cost of wearable medical devices (1).

Undoubtedly, continuous innovation in the technologies and materials of these devices added to the need to respond to an increasing demand for effective and personalized wearable healthcare devices will push for less expensive, and better integrated medical grade devices, whether that is making them smaller, lighter, or less invasive (1). These technologies and the biosensors needed to facilitate drug-delivery or take more accurate measurements are a substantial and current challenge.

Not only in drug delivery, but in the concurrent support provided by digital tools and platforms to measure physiological and behavioral variables interlinked with many fields of medicine is growing. The intersection between computer science, engineering and clinical science are primary players in this wearable medical device trend.

Lastly but not less important, the role of artificial intelligence and new technologies such as blockchain, internet of things and the cloud will be key stakeholders and players for the years to come (3). Stay tuned for more coming very soon!

References

1. Wearable Medical Devices: Technologies and Global Markets [Internet]. [cited 2022 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/29/2358670/0/en/Wearable-Medical-Devices-Technologies-and-Global-Markets.html

2. Tan M, Xu Y, Gao Z, Yuan T, Liu Q, Yang R, et al. Recent Advances in Intelligent Wearable Medical Devices Integrating Biosensing and Drug Delivery. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla) [Internet]. 2022 Jan 10 [cited 2022 Jan 21];2108491. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35008128/

3. de Angel V, Lewis S, White K, Oetzmann C, Leightley D, Oprea E, et al. Digital health tools for the passive monitoring of depression: a systematic review of methods. NPJ digital medicine [Internet]. 2022 Dec 11 [cited 2022 Jan 21];5(1):3. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35017634/