HEALTHTECH: How do you see wearable devices in healthcare being affected by the pandemic?
BOCAS: I see it from two angles, really. First of all, less developed companies are being affected at the moment in terms of R&D, slowing down the innovations, the resources, the developments and even the funding. That’s also slowing down all of the plans to go to market.
From the other angle, I think the pandemic really highlighted what we were supposed to be doing in terms of healthcare with wearables for a long time — and I’m talking about remote patient monitoring capabilities. COVID-19 really highlighted the need for better deployments in terms of healthcare.
HEALTHTECH: What are some of the ways wearables are helping even more during this time?
BOCAS: Let me outline a scenario: Imagine that 10,000 people are being quarantined in one particular region, with each person having a wearable medical device on their wrist. The devices are continuously measuring the wearers’ skin and body temperatures, respiratory rates, pulse rates, heart rates and blood oxygen — and there are probably other health parameters — but measuring all of these vital signs directly correlated to COVID-19.
We could start the triage, assessment and planning of appropriate interventions early, and at the same time mitigate the health risks of spreading the virus by taking to the hospital only those that require interventions. This would provide that early diagnosis for better outcomes, which is definitely a win-win for patients, healthcare workers and society at large.
HEALTHTECH: What risks still exist when introducing wearable devices as part of a patient’s care?
BOCAS: People are very concerned about their health data and personal details, so there are of course risks and privacy concerns with using wearable devices. I would say, however, they’re secondary risks for sure; they’re not life-threatening.