The emerging clinical role of wearables: factors for successful implementation in healthcare

Wearable technologies promise to redefine assessment of health behaviors, yet their clinical implementation remains a challenge. To address this gap, two of the NIH’s Big Data to Knowledge Centers of Excellence organized a workshop on potential clinical applications of wearables. A workgroup comprised of 14 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds (hospital administration, clinical medicine, academia, insurance, and the commercial device industry) discussed two successful digital health interventions that involve wearables to identify common features responsible for their success. Seven features were identified including: a clearly defined problem, integration into a system of healthcare delivery, technology support, personalized experience, focus on end-user experience, alignment with reimbursement models, and inclusion of clinician champions. Health providers and systems keen to establish new models of care inclusive of wearables may consider these features during program design. A better understanding of these features is necessary to guide future clinical applications of wearable technology.