Did you know that at least 98% of over 100 first responders actually recommend people to wear medical bracelets? This is mainly in the case that someone has worrisome allergies, especially with life-threatening reactions. However, medical bracelets or other forms of medical alert jewelry are slightly different from wearable monitoring devices and that’s what we’re going to explore.
The medical field is constantly evolving and new technologies are emerging to improve patient care. Wearable medical devices have come to the forefront as they provide direct access to vital health information during a patient’s stay in the hospital, at home, or while they are on the move.
These options of medical monitoring and identification can be easily worn and maintained while providing vital health information. Today, there are many brands and models of these bracelets available on the market and each one of them has specific features that make it ideal for a certain type of patient or user. Let’s explore what these features are and how wearing an electronic monitoring device can benefit you or even someone you know.
What Exactly Are Wearable Monitoring Devices?
Wearable medical devices are functional electronic devices that have the purpose of helping you to track and monitor your health data. These devices are also used to help you control any conditions you have or simply different areas of your health that you might want to keep an eye on. There are a range of devices available today, from those that help you monitor your blood glucose, heart rate, or blood pressure, to others that help you track step counts or provide dietary information.
What’s great is that most wearable monitoring devices, especially those meant for personal use do all of those things on one device and oftentimes, more. In addition to providing you with useful information, wearable devices can also help you stay connected with people. Some devices can be connected to a smartphone through an app.
With that, many products also let you share updates about your health with people if you need to. The different types of wearable monitoring devices don’t just stop there. There are also options from AI hearing aids and body-mounted sensors to simple fitness trackers or smart jewelry like the Oura ring.
What Is Medical Identification Jewelry?
The use of medical identification bracelets has been around for a while now. These are made of flexible, durable materials, and they are worn like a watch band. You will often see some metal chain-link options as well. A medical bracelet provides you with space to list your condition and an emergency contact.
This information can include allergies, general medication information, medical conditions, and more. Medical bracelets and other forms of jewelry are different from medical ID cards or tags and the main difference is simply the access and quick use.
You should also know that medical identification jewelry is a good option for seniors living in Florida given that many of them are becoming more than just jewelry. Oftentimes, you will see medical ID jewelry with more features. Some of them could be the ability to detect falls and to call 911 when you need assistance.
Why You Should Wear a Medical ID Bracelet if You Need One?
According to the Washington Post, there are more than 3 million people that own a medical alert bracelet. Medical ID bracelets are a unique way to keep medical staff informed about your health status. Some people are at risk of having a dangerous allergic reaction to anything from certain foods, medicines, or even certain plants. Knowing and displaying your allergy risks can help you to stay safe, and healthy, and decrease instances where you might have a medical emergency.
The main purpose though is to help those that aren’t aware of your allergies or medical conditions to easily identify this if they need to. This can make a big difference when it comes to treatment and what your care plan will be like if you ever have a medical emergency.
The Features of Wearable Monitoring Devices at Home and in Clinic Settings
The type of information that can be gathered from wearable devices varies depending on the model and manufacturer. Some devices can track heart rate and hydration levels, while others may track more medical data. Many of them do all of the above.
Some wearable devices can be programmed to alert you when you’re not moving or even sleeping enough or if you are at risk for certain things like experiencing a drop in blood sugar, a spike in blood pressure, or if you experience restless sleep. The features that are most important to you will depend on your health needs, lifestyle, and preferences.
The Top Wearable Devices You Might Want to Consider
Some of the already popular and up-and-coming pieces of tech in healthcare are:
- AI Hearing Aids
- The Oura Ring
- Smart Clothing
- The Embr Wave
- Wearable BioSensors
AI Hearing Aids
AI stands for artificial intelligence and this technology has been combined with hearing aids. They help people by listening to their environments and then adjusting the device to help the person wearing the hearing aids to hear. While they can be pretty expensive ranging from $900 to $2,500, some models are rechargeable and are accompanied by an app you can download onto your phone.
The Oura Ring
The Oura ring is a new piece of technology that has gained a lot of popularity in the healthcare industry. It’s a smart ring that helps you track different health metrics. The ring also comes with an app that helps you track everything and see data in real-time. This ring gives you your sleep score and even gives you advice and suggestions based on your activity. You can also expect notifications when the ring thinks you need them.
Smart Clothing
Smart clothing already exists but it is on the journey of enhancement and direct industry customization. In the healthcare industry, there is the idea to have electronics put into the fabric of different clothing items with the specific purpose of performing different patient care functions. So far, multiple types of clothing are Bluetooth capable and some of the main benefits of smart clothing are ECG morphology and even analysis of your heart rate and other metrics.
Embr Wave
The Embr Wave is a type of menopause bracelet. Its purpose is regulation. It helps you to regulate your body’s temperature as it responds to cyclic changes. The way it works is by sending patterns of temperatures throughout your body to help yourself cool down. Now, the technology is being made to also cater to those that might need a surge of warmth.
Wearable BioSensors
This technology is still in its early phases of being perfected. However, the point of this is to integrate with different sensors on your body to help with monitoring your body’s health metrics, recording that data, and analyzing it. These sensors can come in the form of implants, clothing, or other types of devices that can be worn or that will be in contact with your body.
The Bottom Line
Wearing a medical alert bracelet can provide you with a way to keep your health information close at hand, while also helping first responders that could use the information the jewelry may provide. Additionally, wearable medical monitoring devices can help clinical staff to monitor your condition if you’re in a clinical setting.
Some wearable devices for personal use can alert you when your vitals are abnormal, when and if you should get more sleep, etc. The features of these devices are continuously expanding and also being upgraded but the purpose of them is to promote innovation throughout the healthcare industry while making day-to-day activities for seniors living in Florida and others, more safe.
Simply putting it, this type of technology and attention to healthcare saves lives and improves the quality of life as well.
