Course: ENG 201 Spring 2022 with Prof. Perry

Hadassah Jean

Professor Perry

English 201

4/28

Since the implementation of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, there have been many technological advancements in the healthcare sector. The healthcare systems have adopted a new way of monitoring the health conditions of people. It can get done using medical wearables, including the watches and wrists. It is a way of adjusting the disease management plan. Wearable usage has been in numerous fields, including insurers, health providers, and companies. Technology has gone from being non-existent in companies to being everywhere. They can easily change the lives of people and the general society for the better (Patel et al., 2015). Although wearable technology is still developing, it makes people health-conscious, allows doctors to provide complete attention to each patient without spending much time, and provide a first-person point of view of the user to the medical professional.

Firstly, wearable technology promotes health consciousness among wearers. It helps people always to stay updated about their current health conditions. Also, people become more willing to engage in activities that help promote their health, making them live quality lives. It is a way of encouraging a proactive approach in the healthcare system. The people using the wearable adopt an active lifestyle, thus a good way of managing stress and acquiring a good sense of accomplishment (Chong, pg. 61). This way, the mental health, and well-being get supported. They are affordable to almost everyone, making it easy for everyone to monitor their lives carefully. Also, wearable technology helps in enhancing accountability among users. It allows one to change their sleeping patterns if it is the main factor affecting one’s life. Also, one may start getting engaged in active physical activity, and it can be a way of helping the doctors understand the patients’ health in a better way.

Secondly, wearable technology allows doctors to pay complete attention to the patients. Most healthcare facilities may have fewer doctors. However, through wearables, there may be increased efficiency. They act as the new frontier for healthcare systems. Data is provided through a 24-hour monitoring system, and chronic diseases are detected early. Whether the patients are in a hospital or at home, the doctors can easily monitor them, and in the process, their lives may improve. For example, tracking the blood sugar level of a patient using a wearable may save the life of a patient. Also, with the wearable, the doctors can gain the visibility of the never seen insights into the body system. The cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems can have underlying factors which the wearable can easily detect (Karmen, pg. 60). They provide powerful insight, complementing the ability of the doctors to come up with the correct diagnosis, thus providing sufficient care.

Thirdly, wearables provide the user’s first point of view to the medical professional, reducing hospital visits and readmissions. When a patient has the wearable, they do not need to go to the hospitals each time since the data from the wearable gets conveyed directly to the doctors, who may choose to intervene either through a call or email. Once they get the intervention methods, the patient receives the morale to engage in required activities. For example, a doctor may observe increased blood sugar levels. They can tell the patient the best diet to watch and the exercise to engage on through the phone (Patel, pg. 460). On the patient side, once they heed the doctor’s recommendation, their health improves, and they can get termed, health-conscious patients. Wearable technology has also reduced hospital readmission. Recently, readmission has turned out to be very costly. It has been a universal problem in the healthcare system. Therefore, with wearable technology, it is easy for the doctors to detect an emergency that otherwise would be admitted, thus saving in cost.

In conclusion, although wearable technology is still developing, this tech makes people health-conscious, allows doctors to provide complete attention to each patient without spending much time, and provide a first-person point of view of the user to the medical professional. Wearable technology allows people to monitor their health, which is good if they want to get fit and avoid lifestyle-induced illnesses. However, people should not obsess over the data these gadgets generate. Users should see a doctor when they feel something is not right with their bodies.

Works cited 

Chong, Kimberly PL, et al. “Consumer perceptions of wearable technology devices: retrospective review and analysis.” JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8.4 (2020): e17544.Karmen, C. L., Reisfeld, M. A., McIntyre, M. K., Timmermans, R., & Frishman, W. (2019). The clinical value of heart rate monitoring using an apple watch. Cardiology in review, 27(2), 60-62.

Karmen, Carol L., et al. “The clinical value of heart rate monitoring using an apple watch.” Cardiology in review 27.2 (2019): 60-62.

Patel, Mitesh S., David A. Asch, and Kevin G. Volpp. “Wearable devices as facilitators, not drivers, of health behavior change.” Jama 313.5 (2015): 459-460.