WEARABLE TECHINHEALTHCAREOpportunities, applications & benefits for providers, payers & patients.

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The healthcare industry has always opened its arms to new technologies, and leveraged it to address various challenges facing it. In the last two decades web and PC, followed by smartphones, tablets and apps have transformed healthcare by enabling real-time exchange of patient data, M2M (machine-to-machine) controls and remote monitoring. Now, healthcare is poised to ride on the next wave of digital transformation. Next stop, wearable technology.

Wearable devices like Google Glass, wristbands, smart watches and smart fabric have become the focus of much anticipation and speculation in recent times. Latest announcements from mobile giants Apple, Google and Samsung have made it apparent that the health industry will be a focus area for wearables. Clinical diagnosis, chronic disease management and patient care are just a few areas expected to transform with the entry of wearables.

Anticipating huge potential, various stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem; be it payers, providers or equipment manufacturers, all are closely watching the developments, getting ready to exploit the opportunities and claim their stake in the pie. Even if there is not true clarity in sight as where healthcare and technology is going, its traction among consumers and its long-term success is seemingly inevitable.

SHIPMENTS OF HEALTHCARE WEARABLES FROM 2013 TO 2015 (in millions)

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15

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25

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35

2013 2014 2015

13.45

22.59

34.25

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The impact of wearables is already being felt in the healthcare industry. For example, wearable technology is assisting surgeons in operation theaters, giving them access to patient records in addition to helping patients to continuously monitor their health. Wearable devices like glucose monitors, ECG monitors and pulse oximeters are also slowly gaining popularity among doctors and are changing the way physicians and surgeons record and analyze patient data. Wearable tags and bands are being integrated with positioning and communication systems to enable nurses to locate patients, provide necessary assistance in case of emergencies and to monitor them around-the-clock from a central station.

That being said, the use of wearable devices is not limited to healthcare organizations. Consumers are also using wearable devices like FitBit, Nike +Fuelband and Jawbone etc., to receive guidance on training, monitor their calorie intake and be in the best of physical shape.

This eBook aims to look in detail at the wearable healthcare market to:

Understand impact of wearable tech in healthcare. Drivers encouraging adoption of wearable technology. Applications of wearable technology in the healthcare industry. Challenges to address. The future of healthcare wearable technology.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE

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THE DRIVERS

WEARABLEHEALTHCARE

TECHNOLOGYDRIVERS

New healthcare delivery modelsrequiring lesserstay in hospitals

Signicant populationrequiring long-term care

Prevalance of chronicdiseases

Aging Population

Increasing lifeexpectancy

Improvements inhealthcare technology

Rise in health consciousconsumers

Need for easy & accuratedata recording to improve

treatment outcomes

MobiHealthNews - Statista 2014

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THE BIG GAINS

BENEFITS TO PHYSICIANS

BENEFITS TO HEALTH PAYERS

BENEFITS TO PATIENTS

Real-time capturing & analysis of patient data to improve diagnosis, care and treatment outcomes.

Hands-free communication and information exchange in operation rooms enabling collabora-

tion, multitasking and boosting efficiency.

Anytime, anywhere training assistance to professionals with access to reference material in au-

dio/video format.

With easy and accurate data collection, wearables will help identify trends and commonalities

among groups and improve care.

Payers can use the data generated from wearables to define risk-profile of their members and

arrive at plan costs.

Improved wellness among members, better treatment outcomes and reduced visits to hospitals

will help payers reduce claims and their costs.

Enable payers to incentivize patients with better health habits and style of living and charge more

to patients who have higher vulnerability to diseases.

Continuous monitoring of data will lead to early diagnosis of diseases, right treatment and quick

recovery.

Enable home diagnostics for people post-discharge or those suffering chronic illness.

Ease of recording vitals like sugar levels, blood pressure etc., will help patients take precautionary

action and contact doctors when necessary.

With data on their fingertips, consumers can take informed healthcare decisions and be in better

control of their health.

Wearables like fitness and diet trackers will guide and motivate people to better health.

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Googles wearable device allows doctors to access patient data, X-ray & CT scan images in addition to receiving reports on Glass. The Glass can also be used to record surgery without any discomfort to be used later for review and training. Moreover, experts at Newcastle University (UK) are working on using Google Glass as an assistive aid to help people with Parkinsons retain their independence for longer. The app will help provide discreet prompts linked to key behaviors typical of Parkinsons, such as reminding the individual to speak up or to swallow to prevent drooling. It can also be used as a personal reminder for things such as medication and appointments.

WEARABLES AT WORK

GOOGLE GLASS

9Solutions gTag is a Bluetooth and SaaS-based real-time positioning system and application platform that enables real-time monitoring of patient activities. The wrist tags can be used by medical professionals as well as patients, with the ability to make emergency calls with the press of a button in the tag. These tags can be used as nurse call buttons in hospitals as well as in a home-care environment to support the elderly. In both cases, based on activity profiles set for patients, any deviations can be identified and an automatic alert is sent to the caregiver for immediate response.

WRIST TAGS

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A variety of smart clothes like shirts, sports bra and jackets etc., are being developed and used with the ability to measure and record heart rate, skin temperature, EEG and EMG etc., which can then be sent to compatible monitors for further analysis. These smart clothes help record data in a normal living environment and are ideal for chronic disease management.

SMART CLOTHES

The sensors collect data on users body movements and stream it to smartphones to deliver real-time information for monitoring and analysis. Leveraging the advanced functionality and powerful processing capabilities of smartphones, (the) wearable sensors are being integrated with other devices and used in various ways, from tracking and improving fitness activities of patients to remotely monitoring patients through real-time information sharing between patients and physicians.As per Euan Thomson, Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures, wearable sensors can detect up to 55 million data points over a 24 hour period.

WEARABLE SENSORS

Numera Libris (a wearable device) integrates safety and health monitoring capabilities for instant hands-free communication, automated fall detection, location services and remotely managed two-way voice communication. The company further plans to allow patients to upload biometric data from various health devices and receive reminders (and guidance) on health guidance.

HANDS-FREE VOICE COMMUNICATION

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Royal Philips and Accenture have (few months back) created a proof-of-concept that connects Google Glass head-mounted display to Philips IntelliVue Solutions. The device then enables seamless transfer of patient vital signs into Google Glass, providing physicians with hands-free access to critical clinical information, allowing surgeons to simultaneously monitor vital signs and react to surgical procedures. On the other hand, Imecs EEG headset and EKG patch monitors patients brain and heart activity. This data can then be streamed to a smartphone. Imec also has developed a wireless EEG headset prototype.

HEADSETS

PATIENT MONITORING

The IntelliVue MX40 wearable patient monitor from Philips is a wearable monitor for patients that enables physicians and nurses to continuously monitor their ECG, SpO2, and other vital health signs in real time. The monitor features a touchscreen display to check a patients clinical status with a push of the button. The monitor provides freedom to patients to move around and nurses to check their vitals signs anywhere, anytime.

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BODY MOTION MONITORING PATCH

Zoll has developed a LifeVest wearable defibrillator for patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The defibrillator allows physicians to assess their long-term arrhythmic risk and make appropriate plans. It continuously monitors the patients heart and, when a life-threatening heart rhythm is detected, delivers shock treatment to restore normal heart rhythm.

The LifeVest can also be used for before or after bypass surgery or stent placement, as well as for patients with cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure risks.

DEFIBRILLATOR MONITORS

BodyMedia and Avery Dennison Medical Solutions have developed a disposable skin-friendly patch that can gather physiological data and transfer it to a computer or mobile device for health and wellness initiatives. Future applications of the patches are expected to include remote elder care and safety(,) and corporate wellness programs.

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The (numerous existing and) potential benefits of wearables are accompanied by some major challenges that wearable device manufacturers and others concerned have to address before it goes mainstream.

Design & form factor: Design plays a major role in the success of consumer devices and, in the case of wearables, it is the most critical as users have to wear it and feel it as part of their bodies. However, most wearable technology available today is bulky or awkward in design requiring a significant behavioral change for users to adopt it. So, a great challenge for wearable manufacturers is to come-up with easy to wear and trendy designs to make it part of everyday lives.

Privacy, security and regulatory issues: While wearables may be miniature in size, (but) these devices record and store a huge amount of data. The challenge is to protect this data and ensure privacy of the user in the absence of any privacy and regulatory obligations like HIPAA. Governments have to define regulatory obligation for wearables to safeguard its usage whereas manufacturers must protect from malware and other security issues through sophisticated and robust security mechanism.

Data accuracy: While the potential benefits of wearables in healthcare has been a major attraction, some devices have produced significantly inaccurate readings. Inaccurate data reading is vital within this industry and, in the case of a patient, can put their health at risk. Therefore wearable companies must improve data accuracy to build confidence among stakeholders.

Power Consumption: Wearables consume a lot of battery. This is because largely, they use GPS, data networks and other enabling technologies. Most of the wearables have a single day of battery life which is insufficient if they are required in emergency situations within the healthcare environment.

Costs: Being a new technology, the early costs of wearable adoption in hospitals (as well as in consumer life) is high. The average price of wearable medical devices is around $700 (whereas for consumer products the average price is $300). Manufacturers need to cut down the costs to own wearable technology to (make it) widen their user base.

THE CHALLENGES

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Wearable computing is emerging as the solution for many challenges arising in healthcare like growing population, prevalence of chronic diseases necessitating long-term care and to make healthcare accessible to remote areas etc. Several studies by leading research companies indicates that the wearable healthcare market is steadily gaining traction among patient and physicians and is promising huge potential for the future. Wearables, which initially started as fitness-focussed technology is now moving to medical and healthcare operations engulfing patient care, remote monitoring and treatment delivery. However, what we are seeing is just the beginning. With enabling technologies like mobile, big data, M2M and the Internet of Things evolving, wearables are expected to be at the heart of healthcare ecosystem. But, before that, wearable healthcare device manufacturers have to address the major challenges facing it like high technology costs, design constraints and privacy issues to make it more adoptable by the providers and payers.

THE FUTURE

STEPS TO SUCCESS

1 PICK YOUR FOCUS AREAIdentify one area that you want to target with your wearable device or applicate. Your focus area could be one of the pain-points experienced by your organization, a solution which could streamline one of your processes or something which can aid your patient better manage their health. While picking your focus area, have a look at the market to see what others are doing. Ideas that are new or better or a cost-effective alternative have more chance to succeed. Differentiation is the key.

2 UNDERSTANDING USERSIn your quest to deliver the most-pioneering solution to the world, dont miss-out the basics. Solutions are to be used by humans. and, therefore first identify your target audience, understand their needs and habits and then try to address these through your product or service. Make it elegant, trendy and user-friendly.

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PREPARE A SOLID ROADMAP

TEST & IMPROVE

GET READY FOR A LONG HAUL

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Many products flutter in the idea to execution stage. Make a clear architecture of your idea, list out its key features and dont pack it with too many things. Start small, get it right and then build big.

As soon as your device or app is ready, get is used by a small group of users, listen to their feedback and rework on the device. Dont wait for launching the perfect product. Products dont get perfect at once. It is an iterative process.

The wearable market is at its nascent stage but is promising. Your product or application may not see immediate success the way other technology products do.So be patient and stay hungry. Continuously improve it to make it more saleable to your audience.

In the United States, healthcare devices and apps that collect, store and share personally identifiable health information with hospitals, doctors and other entities covered under law must be HIPAA compliant. Similarly, other countries may be having specific laws to be adhered to while dealing with patient data. So, ensure that your wearable device and data sharing process complies with the law of the land.

Headquartered in Dallas, U.S, [x]cube LABS is a leading enterprise mobile consulting company. With expertise across all the major mobile platforms, [x]cube has delivered over 500 apps till date and has an enviable client list comprising of some of the biggest Fortune 500 businesses like Amazon, GE, Nokia, CBS, DreamWorks, Pearson and UHG etc. [x]cube also owns two premium intellectual properties in Instasense and Adbient. InstaSense is a context aware platform used in building location and situation aware apps whereas Adbient is a media & marketing planning solution. Perfect understanding of the mobile technology space complemented with the capability to deliver end-to-end solutions and expertise over industry vertical solutions makes [x]cube the perfect mobile consultant of choice.

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