How is wearable data changing digital health? Series Vol. 1

Wearable data is the health information collected by devices worn on the body, such as smartwatches, fitness trackers and smart clothing: heart rate, activity, sleep, stress and more. In digital health, it supports remote patient monitoring, decentralized clinical trials, chronic condition management and patient engagement, provided that data privacy, device accuracy and interoperability are addressed.

Innovation in healthcare is emerging everywhere, from decentralized clinical trials to remote patient monitoring and at-home hospitals, as more everyday devices become wearable. This post covers how wearables are changing digital health, the types of data they collect, adoption, future trends and how they support patient engagement.

Wearable data is the health information collected by electronic devices worn on the body, such as smartwatches, fitness trackers and smart clothing. These devices can track metrics like heart rate, physical activity, sleep patterns and stress levels. In healthcare and insurance, this data can support risk assessments, personalized policies and healthier lifestyle choices, and can offer potential cost savings for policyholders by encouraging earlier intervention and preventive care.

Wearables collect a broad range of health data used for monitoring well-being and supporting medical research. Key data types include:

Electroencephalogram (EEG) & electromyography (EMG): Tracking brain and muscle activity via specialized devices.

Behavioral and lifestyle data:

Smartwatches, fitness trackers, biosensors and wearable blood pressure monitors gather these metrics. Integrating this data into electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical workflows is what makes it usable for personalized care.

Wearable adoption is growing across the globe:

Global growth: in 2021, global shipments of wearables reached 533 million units, with projections of up to 776 million by 2024.

U.S. adoption: one in three Americans owns a wearable device, around 110 million users, and the figure continues to rise.

Regional trends:

Wearables affect digital health in four main ways:

Proactive health management: wearables let individuals follow their vital signs, activity and sleep continuously, which helps them notice changes in their own data early and take preventive steps.

Earlier attention to changes: subtle changes captured by wearables can prompt a person or their clinician to look closer sooner. Interpreting those signals remains a clinical task.

Chronic condition management: for people with conditions like diabetes or heart disease, wearable data helps inform decisions on diet, exercise and medication together with their care team.

Challenges and considerations: as wearables spread, data privacy, security and device accuracy become more pressing, and access must stay equitable to avoid widening health disparities.

ROOK moves and standardizes the data; it does not diagnose or replace clinical judgment.

Six trends are shaping wearable data:

Artificial intelligence and machine learning: algorithms will increasingly analyze wearable data to produce personalized insights and recommendations and to flag signals that deserve a closer look.

Advances in miniaturization and flexible electronics: Wearables will become smaller, more comfortable, and less intrusive. Flexible electronics will make devices more versatile and user-friendly, further increasing adoption.

Interoperability: data sharing between wearables and healthcare systems, including EHRs and healthcare apps, is essential for care coordination. See how the FHIR protocol applies to wearable health data.

Personalized and proactive care: continuous data from wearables will support personalized medicine, remote monitoring of chronic conditions and digital clinical trials that collect data without in-person visits.

Addressing ethical and regulatory challenges: Ensuring data privacy and security is critical to the success of wearable technology. Companies will need to navigate complex regulatory landscapes to ensure their products are safe, effective, and compliant.

User engagement and long-term adherence: Wearables must be designed to be user-friendly and engaging, encouraging long-term use. By providing continuous health monitoring, wearables can help individuals stay motivated to adopt healthier behaviors.

FDA review matters because turning a consumer gadget into a medical device requires meeting the agency’s standards for safety and effectiveness. FDA-cleared wearable features include ECG monitoring, blood oxygen tracking and stress management tools, and their data gives healthcare providers a more reliable basis for personalized health plans and preventive care.

Smartphones, earbuds and smart glasses are joining fitness trackers and smartwatches in the digital health ecosystem, adding new ways to collect health data.

Wearables improve patient engagement by giving continuous monitoring and immediate feedback that keep patients connected to their health goals. Key benefits include:

Immediate feedback: wearables show metrics like heart rate, activity and sleep as they are recorded, encouraging users to act. Continuous monitoring is particularly useful for managing chronic conditions.

Personalized insights: The data collected by wearables allows healthcare providers to create tailored health plans, promoting accountability and improving adherence to treatments.

Improved communication: wearables can share data with healthcare providers, helping them and patients manage chronic conditions together.

Empowerment: patients who can see their own health data are better placed to make informed decisions and adopt healthier behaviors.

Wearables need solutions for data privacy, interoperability and regulatory compliance to reach their potential. As AI and wearable technology advance, they can support more personalized, proactive and data-driven health management, better patient engagement and more efficient chronic condition management.

Next, read Digital Health Series Vol. 2 on wearables and predictive analytics, or see how ROOK delivers standardized wearable data in the ROOK documentation.