Research and Insights: Secondary Care Provider Attitudes Towards Patient Generated Health Data from Smartwatches
Wearable devices such as smartwatches could play an increasingly important role in healthcare. Used by patients to track their own clinically-relevant measurable outcomes—such as physical activity, pain, and heart rate—this information has also been shown to foster improved doctor-patient communication and coordination, and improve patient accountability and engagement.
But providers have given wearable devices mixed reviews: while some laud their contribution to patient care, others are more skeptical of their accuracy and efficacy. As wearable technology evolves, it’s important to gather provider insights about the technology’s most helpful kind of information, along with its best presentation and incorporation into clinical practice.
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Advertising Assistant Professor Jordan Alpert and colleagues conducted interviews with providers about their perceptions of smart watch technology and its potential efficacy in the clinic. The researchers asked the providers, most of whom are specialized in gerontology, about the benefits and barriers of incorporating smart watches into practice; the most clinically valuable data points that smart watches provide; and the implications of smart watches on patient-provider communications.
Posted: October 5, 2020
Category: Digest Only, Uncategorized