Smartphones vs. Wearables in Health Monitoring

Introduction to Smartphone Usage

Are you currently reading this article on a computer, tablet, or smartphone? If it’s the latter, you belong to the estimated 3.5 billion smartphone users globally. Smartphones are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, integrating advanced technological features that enhance their functionality.

Evolution of Health Monitoring Devices

In recent years, smartphones have evolved to track various physical and health data. Meanwhile, wearable devices, such as smartwatches (iWatch, Android), are also gaining popularity by offering additional biometric measurements. However, there remains a gap in research comparing the effectiveness of smartphones and wearables in long-term remote patient monitoring.

Research Insights

A recent study conducted by American researchers focused on the physical activity data of 500 discharged hospital patients from a clinical trial spanning from January 2017 to January 2019. Participants were randomly assigned to use either a smartphone alone or in conjunction with a wearable device over a period of six months. Data collection points occurred at 30, 90, and 180 days.

The findings revealed no significant difference in data transmission between the smartphone and wearable groups at the 30-day mark. However, after 90 and 180 days, the smartphone group demonstrated a significantly higher volume of data transmitted.

Conclusion on Device Effectiveness

The study concluded that smartphones are more effective than wearables in collecting physical data over a six-month period. It is important to note that this research was limited to data from a single clinical trial. While wearables can track additional health behaviors such as sleep patterns, the results suggest that smartphones may offer a more efficient means of remote patient monitoring.

According to the researchers, “because smartphones are ubiquitous, our findings indicate that these devices could be a scalable approach for remotely monitoring patient health behaviors.”

Further Reading

For those interested in related topics, consider exploring the following articles:
– Comparing Wearable Fitness Devices
– Can Wearable Electronics Provide a Real-Time Measurement of Body Activities?
– Can Activity Tracker Apps and Wearable Devices Improve Mental Health Treatment?
– Do Wearable Defibrillators Save Lives?
– New Wearable Device Tracks UV Exposure
– Wearable Sensors to Detect Early Signs of Anxiety in Children Are in Development

References

– Arne, H. (2020). Smartphone users worldwide 2020 | Statista. Retrieved 12 February 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/
– Patel, M., Polsky, D., Kennedy, E., Small, D., Evans, C., Rareshide, C., & Volpp, K. (2020). Smartphones vs Wearable Devices for Remotely Monitoring Physical Activity After Hospital Discharge. JAMA Network Open, 3(2), e1920677. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.20677