Wearable technologies, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, offer immense potential to revolutionize how patients manage their health outside of the doctor’s office. However, both patients and healthcare professionals have been slow to fully embrace these tools.
At the TIME100 Health Leadership Forum on October 22 in New York City, Shyamal Patel and Dr. David Agus discussed the state of emerging healthcare technologies and their future impact. The panel, moderated by TIME senior health correspondent Alice Park, focused on the opportunities and barriers surrounding wearable tech.
Wearables have the potential to monitor key health indicators, including sleep patterns, blood pressure, and menstrual cycles, but their integration into the healthcare sector remains limited. “It still has not been normalized,” remarked Dr. Agus, the Ellison Institute of Technology co-CEO.
One reason for the slow uptake is that healthcare providers often lack the training to analyze and interpret the large volumes of data generated by wearable devices. Shyamal Patel, senior vice president at ŌURA, explained that the healthcare system is still adjusting. “We haven’t developed the capacity on the healthcare side to interpret and act on this data,” Patel said, citing the challenge of incorporating continuous data, like blood pressure readings, into a system that relies on single clinic measurements.
Patel also pointed to better communication between health technology companies and healthcare providers. He highlighted the complexity of the U.S. healthcare system, where the interests of payers, providers, patients, and now tech companies, do not always align. Patel emphasized that stronger partnerships among stakeholders are critical to improving health outcomes.
In addition to these challenges, Dr. Agus mentioned other obstacles, such as the high cost of consumer wearables, many of which lack insurance reimbursement options. Healthcare professionals also want more research to ensure that data from these devices can drive meaningful changes in patient behavior.
“Interventions that can affect outcomes are crucial,” Agus said. He urged companies to invest in studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of their products. Once proven, these technologies should be made widely accessible to all patients.
Although wearables like fitness trackers and smart rings have been around for more than a decade, Patel believes the industry still has much room to grow. He underscored the need to advance both the technology itself and the way it is integrated into daily healthcare practices.
