Do you use wearable health technology to monitor your health? You are not alone, as there are millions who use smart devices to protect themselves.
Ever since the global pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in smart wearable usage across the world. People are using it to track their cardiovascular activity, manage chronic health problems, and more.
This article explores why smart wearables are the future and how every medical software development company has an important role to play in offering better healthcare to everyone. It also talks about the various challenges that these devices face and how we can address them. The information was gathered based on the interview with Dmytro Chudov, Director of Engineering at Chudovo.
Software Development Companies Are Shaping The Healthcare Sector
With smartwatches, fitness bands, and other smart wearables becoming more popular, software companies are at the forefront of digital healthcare.
Developers work closely with device manufacturers, researchers, and healthcare facilities. This makes healthcare software development an important sector.
They build solutions for customers across the world. Here are some of the ways development companies are helping the healthcare sector:
Security and Compliance
Healthcare data is personal, and no one wants to lose it. Software developers have to ensure that smart wearables and their apps collect, store, and use data safely.
There are strict healthcare and data regulations that developers have to follow. Europe’s GDPR, Brazil’s LGPD, and Japan’s APPI are just some of the data regulations that this software has to adhere to.
Compatibility With Traditional Healthcare
One of the biggest problems that early smart wearables faced was that they could not be used for professional diagnosis.
Technology has made both the hardware and software significantly better compared to what we had a few years ago. Software developers are now able to get pinpoint accurate data from the hardware and offer accurate reports.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has officially approved some of the recent smart devices as healthcare tools. While they are still not used for official diagnosis, they have become reliable.
Some of the smart wearables can automatically contact emergency services in case of an emergency by using smart software that detects any health complications in your body.
Artificial Intelligence
Many of the popular smart health devices use artificial intelligence (AI) to protect people. Software developers know how to use your health data to identify any health risks. Apps can automatically find out if you need to visit a doctor or need urgent care.
These AI tools use data from multiple devices or sensors and give you accurate analysis in case of any concerns. While these devices are not always accurate, they can and have saved lives.
Remote Monitoring
Doctors are using smart devices to remotely monitor their patients. Smart devices are popular in places where it is not possible for patients to regularly visit their doctors or testing centers.
While doctors don’t rely on the devices for diagnosis, they are often used for post-surgery recovery and monitoring chronic diseases.
What is Holding Smart Wearable Technology Back?
Smart wearables have not reached their full potential yet.
Many factors are holding them back. Here are some of the challenges that both hardware manufacturers and software developers are trying to solve:
Accuracy
The number one problem that these smart devices face is accuracy. While the sensors in a smartwatch can be reliable, they are usually not as good as medical-grade devices.
Most wearables that you can purchase right now only offer basic fitness data. Some watches can monitor your heart health, but they are not completely reliable. As both hardware and software improve in the smart wearables sector, accuracy should not be a major problem.
Design and User Experience
Another problem with smart wearables is that they are targeted at tech-savvy people. Sometimes they are not easy to use, especially for people who did not grow up around technology.
Software developers have to do their best and improve the user experience for the average user to make the devices more accessible to everyone.
Data Security
There are no industry-wide regulations that can protect your user data. Wearables collect a lot of your sensitive data, and it is normal for users to be concerned about using them.
Many users are concerned about unauthorized access to their personal information. Hardware manufacturers and software developers have to be ethical with their data. They have to give assurances and be transparent with their customers. You have to build trust within your audience if you want to succeed in the smart wearables sector.
The Future of Smart Wearables
One of the most important features of smart devices is that they can offer a quick diagnosis without making you visit a doctor. As software platforms get better and solve the challenges that both hardware and software are facing in the industry, smart wearables might become a part of everyone’s daily lives.
One of the biggest improvements seen in recent smart wearables is personalization. More companies are trying to push personalized alerts, diet plans, and even workouts. This helps add a personal touch and makes people more inclined to use the devices.
AI is also playing an important role in improving these devices. It can improve real-time monitoring for these devices. Newer devices are always connected to the internet and are more accurate at predicting health risks that you might face. Instead of using static parameters, they use your past health data to accurately predict if users need any help. AI-powered devices are also better at detecting any health anomalies using personalized users, unlike traditional smart wearables.
Conclusion
While smart wearables are not perfect, they have improved rapidly in recent years. These devices and their software can save lives and also help healthcare providers do their jobs better. With both hardware and software improving rapidly, we can expect wearable devices to get much better in the coming years. Software developers will help shape the medical industry in the upcoming years and help end users get better healthcare.
