How Wearable Technology Will Change Clinical Trials (Part 2)

6 August, 2015, by ClinCaptureTeam

Our latest blog post on wearable technology highlighted some of the most popular microelectronics and biosensors which are poised to change the way clinical trials are conducted. However, devices such as the Apple watch and the Fitbit wristband are mostly consumer-oriented at this point.

A few weeks ago, the research team at Google X announced they are currently building a wearable cardiac and activity tracking wristband. The wearable’s health sensor is clinical-grade and specifically designed for clinical trial use.  It is designed to measure anything from light and noise exposure to heart rhythm, skin temperature and pulse, sending real time patient data to researchers. In addition, Google’s Android Wear OS has built-in health biometrics features for wearables as well as the Google Fit open platform that collects biometric information while letting users control data through various apps and devices.

The tech giant clearly knows that using wearables to transform clinical trial development and streamline consumer data collection means big business. A recent PWC report found out that 70% of consumers say they would wear employer-provided wearables in exchange for a break on their insurance premiums. If implemented, employers in turn would help mainstream wearable devices by sponsoring wellness programs. Pharmaceutical and provider networks can also leverage wearables to integrate with their current initiatives encouraging behavior change towards a healthier lifestyle.

When it comes to mainstreaming wearable tech in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, however, there is always the issue of data ownership. Industry professionals say that the real benefit of adopting wearables would come from educating healthcare consumers and empowering them to better manage their symptoms. But they are not convinced that the patients’ data should be a part of their formal health record.

According to the American Health Information Management Association (Ahima), the social trend of sharing personal health and disease information online is called “biosociality”. People tend to feel more comfortable sharing personal details on online health-related forums because of the interpersonal context. On the other hand, sharing information with clinical trial researchers means a much more formal setting. And while patients who share their self-tracked data expect anonymity, there is no consensus on privacy and ownership standards in the health data space.

A recent customer survey on data ownership shows that 57% of consumers would only share their data on the condition of privacy protection. Over 90% said this is very important to them, and a small percentage were open to sharing their data with the mobile device company that collected it.

The lack of industry standards around wearables also raises concern about the validity of the collected patient health data. However, experts believe that the mainstream adoption of tech health devices would force the industry to address information governance and impose standards in the near future.