In the last few years, the sale and use of wearable devices has skyrocketed. Their ability to alert you to calls, messages and emails (and who it was sent from) is great for convenience, but perhaps the most beneficial factor they offer is related to health.

They can monitor everything including:

–          Heart rate

–          Exercise

–          Sleep

–          Blood sugar levels

–          Hydration

–          Ovulation

… and plenty more. They’re even able to provide you with reminders to take specific medications at certain times.

So how will this make a difference with the relationship between you and your GP?

If you’re able to bring in this type of data to show your doctor, it can give them a more in-depth insight into your health than they’ve ever had before. Metrics such as heart rate, exercise amounts, sleep cycles and more can really help doctors who treat patients with conditions including diabetes and heart failure, for example.

One of the biggest advantages with wearable devices in terms of the health care industry is that because the user has access to so much more information about their overall health, it spells out in black and white if there needs to be changes made to someone’s lifestyle. This can be in terms of exercise, diet, sleep, and more. As such, it’s a great motivator for them to improve their health. The more people actively looking after their health, the less stress on the healthcare system. This of course won’t be a change that happens overnight, however is a very promising premise to Australia’s health.

Hurdles that must be overcome to ensure credibility with medical professionals

At the moment, the data that’s generated by these devices isn’t perfectly reliable medically, so cannot be approached as such.  Also, doctors will need to receive appropriate training to be able to interpret the information they’re given correctly.

At the end of the day, there is a huge potential for this type of technology to drastically improve not just the care patients receive from their doctors, but the healthcare system entirely. Patients who currently use wearable tech need to be reminded of the inaccuracy, but simultaneously praised for taking more control in their health.