Thirty years in healthcare can wear down even the most steadfast optimism and faith in the very institutions the system relies on. While innovation is revolutionizing nearly every other industry, with professionals eagerly embracing new tools, healthcare often stands apart. Too often, clinicians meet alternative approaches with crossed arms instead of open minds.
Relentlessly, rates of chronic disease, depression, and medication use continue to rise. Over 1 billion people live with obesity and 970 million live with a mental health disorder worldwide. If there were ever a time to implement alternative preventive health tools in clinical practice, now is certainly it.
The rise of continuous glucose monitors offers a useful precedent. Patients are now learning which foods spike their blood sugar, but not from theoretical dietary advice, instead they are learning from immediate, personalized feedback. Additionally, health wearable tools, with the support of AI/ML algorithms, give users access to new insights around dietary habits such as automated food logging, chew rate and diet-driven behavioral changes.
Step counts require no invasive devices and apply to almost everyone. So why are we not prescribing tools to document them in health records alongside other patient reported information? A 2023 meta-analysis showed that even modest increases in daily step count led to significant reductions in all-cause mortality. Benefits began well below 4,000 steps per day and continued to improve beyond 10,000. These improvements applied across age groups, risk profiles, and both sexes. This is not marginal. It is medicine at scale. These findings are supported by a recent study published in The Lancet.
Health wearables are a promising tool for cognition-aware applications. These devices can monitor physiological and behavioral signals in real time, enabling early detection of lapses in focus, fatigue, and cognitive decline. Advanced sensors and AI-driven analytics can provide personalized interventions to enhance memory, support attention, and improve overall mental performance. Perhaps most critically, wearables hold potential for early detection of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and concussion-related impairments. This would enable earlier interventions and improved patient outcomes.
Monitoring physical signals of the body not only promotes outward health, but also mental health. Physical activity interventions have been found to be more effective than standard antidepressants for improving mental health outcomes. Yet in clinical practice, how often do we respond to depression or fatigue by asking patients how much they move? Wearables have also proven fit as a reliable source of measuring mental health. Research has demonstrated smart glasses’ ability to distinguish between depressed and non-depressed individuals as compared with current gold standard diagnostic methods a far more practical and accurate method of measurement than faulty surveys or questionnaires.
Yet, we reach straight for the prescription pad.
As it is said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” According to the findings of Michael P. Pignone, individuals with chronic conditions drive about $1.5 trillion in annual healthcare spending. It is estimated that implementing effective interventions that support disease management, post-discharge care, and case management could save health systems up to $45 billion annually. Additionally, a study on a mobile health cardiovascular self-management program using a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure (BP) monitor found that the program generated an average of $1,709 in annual healthcare savings per user. This proves that investments in preventive care not only benefits an individual’s physical wellbeing but also, their pocket book.
Many clinicians treat personalized health data measurement as a bureaucratic afterthought, rather than a therapeutic intervention. Chew rate, facial movement, step counts, sleep tracking, and heart rate variability are not trivial data points, they are behavioural levers. When patients are given access to them, and when the data is made meaningful, behaviour changes and prevention is possible. It’s time we no longer view these tools as lifestyle noise, but regard them as clinically relevant. They are not a treatment replacement, but as a way to empower patients, reduce suffering, and strive for optimal wellbeing.
Air travel used to be dangerous before sensor data enabled actionable dashboards and real-time feedback. It is now one of the safest ways to travel though monitoring critical behaviours and preventing crashes. Imagine a future where patients are working in partnership with their clinicians, sharing information on their activity, dietary habits, and more.
People are getting sicker, the population is aging, and it’s unclear whether policy-makers consider the long term implications of our current trajectory. The moment to embrace and scale personalized, preventive health tools is now.
The decision is ours.
Photo: exdez, Getty Images
Charles Nduka is the Founder and Chief Science Officer (CSO) of Emteq Labs, the market leader in emotion-recognition wearable technology. He is a leading facial musculature expert with over 20 years surgical experience, including 10 years as Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon (Queen Victoria Hospital). Charles has an extensive background in research and development including clinical trials, has over 100 scientific publications and is the Medical Advisory Board chair for the charity Facial Palsy UK.
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