The connected body

The bold claim for wearable technology is that it could lead to 'a revolution in self-care' by improving the monitoring of patients with a host of long-term conditions as well as encouraging people to live more healthily. Patients with conditions such as diabetes, liver disease and asthma could benefit from wearing devices that can detect deterioration and alert the patient or anyone else they choose via a smart device. Wearable technology can also benefit clinicians from a training and development perspective, while improved geoposition technology will increase the safety of lone workers. Medical devices enable patients to monitor themselves remotely, for conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure, and yet still be able to communicate directly with medical professionals; other wearables are aimed at monitoring wellness and fitness levels.