Expect wearables to continue entering the workplace. At the end of July the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) releasedfinal guidance confirming that the agency will not regulate wearables and mobile apps as long as they don’t claim to treat any specific diseases or conditions. More companies may feel comfortable now implementing them into their wellness program initiatives to help employees stay on track with their fitness activities and to help obtain important health data.
These devices or software track a range of functions like step counting, heart rate monitoring, calorie counting, and sleep cycles. The FDA also exempted devices and apps used to promote healthy behaviors like a mobile app designed to encourage time spent sleeping as a way to manage anxiety. The ruling even allows for manufacturers of medical devices to use “real-world evidence” of their product’s performance from settings such as hospitals, doctors’ offices and consumers’ homes to obtain verification of its safety and effectiveness.
Therefore, the data these devices are producing needs to be accurate. And as it turns out, the FDA isn’t the only one interested in accurate results. A recent survey by Valencell, a provider of biometric data sensor technology, found that consumers are all about accuracy when it comes to wearables too. Their survey of 706 U.S. consumers found the following results:
Of the respondents that owned a wearable, the majority (63%) ranked accuracy as the most important feature.
More than half of those who don’t own a wearable, would consider buying one if they trusted the accuracy.
And nearly three-quarters (73%) of all respondents believe that accuracy in wearable technology will one day be able to directly affect their health.
Furthermore, the survey findings reveal an underlying tenant of the influence wearbles can have on participants lives as 80% said they feel their wearable has a positive impact of their health. Employers looking to increase employee satisfaction and engagement may point to this statistic as a reason to build wearable technology into their company’s long-term health and wellness goals.
According to PwC Health Research Institute’s top 10 health industry issues of 2016 health plans need to look for innovative uses of connected tools, especially as adoption rates for mobile health apps have increased by 100% in the last two years. Now with the FDAs recent announcement this may benefit developers of these products by reducing their exposure to compliance and regulatory risks, as well as increasing their access to reliable data to get new products approved faster.
According to the Valencell study, consumers already know what they would like the next round of wearbles and apps to do. Participants want additional health metrics monitored such as, stress, blood pressure, sunlight/UV exposure, hydration, and key vitamin and supplement levels. New advancements such as these would help consumers keep interested in using their products and continue to provide them with valuable insights into their health and wellbeing.
Source: eWeek. Accuracy in Wearables a Top Priority for Consumers. 7/7/16. PP1. and the Healthcare Trends Insititute
