Top Five Wearable Patch Innovations Changing Healthcare in 2023
Wearable technology is transforming the healthcare sector in monitoring, diagnostics, and therapeutics. With the development of wearable patches and biosensors, monitoring patients’ health has become easier and more efficient.
Wearable skin patches make testing and monitoring on self cost-effective and accessible. Data from multiple sensors and actuators are analyzed and processed.
The components of wearable patches include foil sensors, thermoformable foam, electroconductive adhesive tapes, and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films.
Integrated sensors and actuators with processing capabilities, energy storage, and communication are attached directly to the body through adhesives.
Components such as nanomaterials and polymers in wearable sensors enhance the detection of specific biomarkers.
The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) within healthcare is leading to the evolution of therapeutic and diagnostic devices through the development of software and algorithm calculations.
Innovations in wearable patches such as wearable graphene patches, electrocardiogram (ECG) patches, ultrasound patches, wearable biosensors, and sleep tracking patches have been transforming healthcare in recent times.
Wearable Graphene-Based Patches
Wearable graphene-based patches are made out of a thin film of graphene that measures blood glucose levels by being directly applied on the surface of the skin.
They are non-invasive skin patches and are better alternatives to finger-prick glucose tests. These patches draw glucose from cells between hair follicles and also analyze sweat.
Wearable graphene patches follow the process of electroosmotic extraction, which uses a small electric current to draw glucose and sweat and thereby access the biomarkers.
Measurements can be taken every 10 to 15 minutes across a few hours, and the data can be sent out wirelessly to a smartphone or smartwatch.
Wearable graphene patches are effective, low-cost, and hassle-free as there is no use of expensive equipment, and patient care is made easy as necessary tests can be conducted at home.
Wearable ECG Patches
Wearable ECG patches are a new development in the industry, and these devices are designed to stick on the skin over the heart to analyze heart rate, ECG rhythm, respiratory rate, and more.
These patches provide live data on a wireless connection to a mobile device. Being miniaturized, the wearable ECG patches are effective and stick to the target area, that is, the thoracic cavity.
As wearable patches are made of polymers, they are flexible and light weighted.
A U.S.-based company, Vivalink, launched a wearable heart monitor and wearable ECG patches in 2019 that have so far been used in a number of research projects. They have been used in the detection of coronary artery disease, stress, depression, and cardiac disorders.
Wearable patches have become popular in the market, and investors in healthcare and patient care are taking an interest in them.
As per the BIS Research report, the global wearable patches market was valued at $8.65 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $26.89 billion by the end of 2031. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 11.06% during the forecast period 2022–2031.
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Wearable Ultrasound Patches
Wearable ultrasound patches are non-invasive devices that help in the continuous monitoring of internal organs.
The design of these wearable patches combines every component of ultrasound equipment. A thin and rigid array of ultrasound biosensors covers the tough and flexible hydrogel layer, which is protected by an elastomer membrane.
These wearable ultrasound patches are attached to the skin through strong bioadhesives. These components allow stable and high-resolution imaging of the internal body organs.
Effective readings are taken with the help of these patches through continuous monitoring and minimum interference with body movement.
Successful innovation of wearable ultrasound patches was completed by the National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded research team led by Dr. Xuanhe Zhao at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2021.
The wearable ultrasound patch is about the size of a postage stamp and can conduct imaging of internal organs continuously for 48 hours.
Wearable Temperature Patches
Progress in wearable technologies has paved the way to commence improvements in modern wearable patches for non-invasive and continuous monitoring in healthcare and biomedical applications.
The wearable temperature patches help in the early detection of elevated temperatures in patients in remote care or in-clinic monitoring. This helps in timely intervention and prevents any degradation in the health of the patient.
These devices are connected to mobile phones or tablets to display the data. These wearable patches are cost-effective and have shown effective results in patients’ clinical outcomes.
Wearable Sleep Tracking Patches
Wearable sleep tracking patches track hours of sleep and bodily functions during sleeping. They also calculate the impact of sleep on the body and suggest how the degradation of health can be prevented.
These wearable patches work under a combination of bioimpedance analysis and machine learning algorithms.
Wearable sleep tracking patches have proven successful in the detection and monitoring of patients with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which the patient’s breathing is repeatedly obstructed while sleeping. It can lead to serious cardiovascular disorders and health complications.
Thus, wearable patches that track sleep can help in the remote and continuous monitoring of sleep apnea patients and prevent serious health complications.
Conclusion
In the current world scenario, there is a need for effective disease monitoring and detection of individual and public health. This need is fulfilled by wearable patch technology that has transformed traditional healthcare.
With technological advancements such as system-on-chip (SOC), the development of wearable technology has achieved significant growth in the market.
The global wearable patches market is expected to witness significant growth due to factors such as the increasing need for devices for patient care and remote monitoring, the increase in the aging population, and the advancement of technology.
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