If you’ve been keeping up with us, you’ve seen our content specializing in different areas of tech and have probably realized the widespread effect that tech has had across many industries: from healthcare to science, the advancements we’ve achieved in technology have completely revolutionized the way we live.
Health tech is a specific area in which technological advancements are key: these innovations have helped advance the way doctors treat patients and patients take care of themselves outside of the hospital or office.
In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of health tech and focus on smart wearables, a fantastic example of how technology has brought advanced and personalized healthcare to the fingertips of everyone.
What is Health Tech?
It’s quite simple: health tech refers to the use of technologies developed with the purpose of improving any and all aspects of the healthcare system. Your mind might go right to advances in disease treatments or state-of-the-art x-ray machines, but the truth is health tech has impacted a wide range of people and their lives in rather small ways. Here are some examples:
Robotics: no, we don’t mean robots that are posed to take over the world! Advancements in robotics in healthcare have meant that doctors are able to have automated assistants to help with repetitive tasks or ones that require immense precision, in addition to freeing up valuable time to be used for focusing on the patient.
3D imaging/printing: detailed and exact imaging can help doctors better detect and properly identify diseases and illnesses, providing superior treatment options; 3D printing can be used to create implants or specific parts that patients need, such as joints.
Digital records: the mass adoption of digital records not only made it easier for doctors to refer to a patient’s full medical history, but also consult the cases and information of patients who have suffered from similar symptoms/diseases and have more information for deciding on a treatment plan.
Telehealth: although many people prefer to visit their doctor in person, the introduction and widespread adoption of telehealth platforms brought healthcare to many people who couldn’t see a doctor in-office for a variety of reasons. In addition, this helps free up hospital waiting rooms and in-person consults as people with minor concerns or just wanting to follow-up can contact their medical professional from the comfort of their own home.
Personalized healthcare: thanks to advanced artificial intelligence programs that are skilled at recognizing patterns in large data sets, patients with similar qualities or symptoms can be flagged and doctors can refer to what their treatments were and what worked, creating a personalized and effective treatment plan for their patient.
As you can see, the impact of technology on the health sector has been transformative and incredible; however, we’ve left out one specific area that’s had quite the impact so that we can dive in and cover it in extreme detail: wearables.
Smart Wearable Technology
To put it simply, wearable technology is exactly how it sounds: any sort of technology that can be worn comfortably on the human body, such as a smartwatch or fitness trackers. The goal of this industry is clear: to seamlessly provide an accurate and simple snapshot of a person’s health and create a meaningful impact without requiring too much from the user.
This technology has advanced rapidly over the past few years and gone from simple devices that count your daily steps to heart rate monitors, menstrual cycle trackers, and much more. There are quite a few technologies that fit under this umbrella, but we’re going to highlight some of the most common and innovative ones that have caught our attention.
Smart watches
We’re sure you’ve heard of smart watches; they’re arguably the most common application of smart wearables and one that you either have or see regularly. Lots of people associate them with tracking your daily step count, as that was the main function that they had when they were first released, but today’s smart watches can monitor the user’s health rate, blood oxygen levels, calories burned, and even alert the user if their environment is too loud or their heartbeat has become irregular.
Smart clothing
Going one step further than smart watches, smart clothing is a field that is rapidly growing and has true potential; by having even more contact with the human body, a smart shirt, for example, could be capable of diagnosing respiratory diseases, smart socks can identify possible circulation problems before they arise, and smart leggings can correct form and posture during yoga classes.
Implantables
Taking smart wearables a step further, implantables take the form of pills swallowed by users and monitor the user’s bodily functions from the inside! These pills contain sensors that could monitor blood pressure and other health metrics; this data is directly passed to the user or their medical team so that the proper treatment plan can be developed.
Smart glasses
Smart glasses are another up and coming trend that has the potential to completely change human life; with the introduction of augmented reality, virtual reality, bluetooth, cameras, and more to typical eyeglasses, users can basically use their glasses as if it were a phone, letting them see additional information about what they’re looking at in real time and even flagging potential health issues.
As you can see, the potential of smart wearables is incredible and we can expect to see even more progress in the coming years: we’ve learned that technology can help us in a wide range of areas and at Ironhack, we’re dedicated to creating the next generation of techies that are ready to take on the challenges the healthcare industry is facing, finding effective and innovative solutions.
If you’re ready to be part of the change, you’re in the right place: check out our bootcamps today and let your tech journey start.
