Data accuracy and quality is a challenge with consumer wearables. On the other hand, medical-grade devices are not user friendly, especially as a wearable. However, there is an emerging category of FDA-cleared medical devices designed as consumer friendly wearables. These devices are the key to RPM, and they aren’t yet on Best Buy’s shelves, even through the GreatCall purchase.
For RPM to reach its full potential, the devices must be easy to adopt by the consumer and medically accurate – removing the requirement to visit the clinical setting and minimizing the involvement of a medical professional for access or use. This is happening now. There are new devices bridging this gap, such as VivaLNK’s Fever Scout, our FDA-cleared continuous temperature monitor, and AliveCore’s KardiaMobile, which allows you to record a medical-grade EKG. Both are available directly to consumers and allow for the sharing of data with providers.
As with any new category, RPM will also go through iterations of trial and retrial before settling on widely accepted conventions. But the world of consumer wearables and medical devices are fast converging, and it’s not stoppable. Now it’s only a matter of time before we see RPM become a standard medical practice in every home, which will significantly change the world of healthcare – reducing costs and increasing accessibility.
About the author: Jiang Li, VivaLNK founder and CEO, has both passion and extensive experience in bringing innovative technology and products into the marketplace. Li’s nearly 15-year career in high technology took a new direction when a routine health check landed him at the ER under examination, out of fear he was in the middle of a heart attack. Noticing the outdated monitoring technologies in the hospital, he knew emerging technologies could be properly implemented and sought to apply his background in flexible electronics to healthcare. VivaLNK is a leading provider of connected healthcare devices for wellness, patient care, and telemedicine. The company’s portfolio includes wearable clinical-grade devices that continuously monitor the health and well-being of individuals.
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