When innovation meets prevention: How medical wearables are changing the healthcare industry

The technologies and sensors of wearable devices enable real-time monitoring of patients and the collection of important patient data. They hold enormous potential, but also challenge developers and manufacturers.

Fitness trackers or smart watches are worn on the wrist, measuring vital signs of the body, and recording them. The small minicomputers sound an alarm when the heart rate is too high or blood pressure deviates from the norm. But they can do more than just support people during training or in everyday life. The mission of wearable medical devices: To support the treatment of diseases and to improve the quality of life, especially for people with chronic diseases.

These small but complex devices have great potential, explains Thomas Silva, Global Business Development Manager for Medical Wearable Devices at Adhesive Technologies. Henkel develops flexible adhesive solutions for medical devices that enable digital health care to improve patient care and healing. Henkel is working with the worldwide leading wearables producers and co-shapes the industry. "Medical wearables enable patients to take more responsibility for their own health. Medical professionals use them to gain valuable data for disease prevention, diagnosis and monitoring, which can reduce treatment efforts and thus help lower treatment costs." Many tasks related to health or medical care can already be done digitally. In addition to ordering medication online, using health apps, or booking video consultations, wearables are now expanding the digital health sector.