Wearable technology has become increasingly prominent in the healthcare industry. The global medical wearables market was worth $7.4 billion in 2020 and will likely surpass $19 billion within five years. As the use of these devices continues to climb, pharmaceutical companies should consider them in clinical trials.
The COVID-19 vaccines highlight the importance of fast, safe and effective clinical trials. Traditional methods provide plenty of needed data and ensure safety, but they’re often slow and expensive. Wearables are an ideal solution. Here’s a closer look at why.
Remote Patient Monitoring
The primary appeal of wearables in clinical trials is that they gather patient data remotely. Just as glucose monitoring devices collect readings every 5 to 15 minutes for diabetes patients, other wearables could provide continuous information during clinical trials. Consequently, participants wouldn’t have to visit a hospital or lab to update researchers about side effects or drug efficacy.
With a reduced number of hospital visits, clinical trials would be far more cost-effective. Trial participants would also benefit from more flexible schedules, being able to go about their day as usual.
Remote patient monitoring would also help lower energy consumption. The U.S. already consumes roughly 150 million British Thermal Units annually, and lab equipment is energy-hungry. Wearables typically don’t consume much power, so using them instead would reduce overall energy usage.
Faster, More Accurate Decision-Making
Clinical trials using wearables to gather data would also benefit from continuous data access. Instead of waiting for a participant’s next lab visit to gather information, researchers can view it in real-time. This speed and transparency can lead to better decision-making.
Since the data from wearables is continuous, researchers can better understand how the drug is affecting participants. Traditional methods only provide data from a single moment in time, which may be misleading. More data across a longer timeframe leads to more conclusive results.
Similarly, since this data is available in real-time, it enables faster decisions. Researchers can notice trends as they develop, drawing conclusions sooner. This transparency can accelerate the trial, leading to a faster time to market.
Faster Emergency Responses
Another benefit of the continuous data stream wearables provide is faster responses in case of an emergency. Even a widely safe treatment, such as the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, can lead to reactions like anaphylaxis in some patients. If and when these occur, researchers must respond quickly to ensure the patients’ health and wellbeing.
Wearables can alert medical workers when a participant is experiencing an adverse reaction. They can then treat the patient in question sooner, potentially saving their life. These quick reactions also provide data about potential side effects earlier, leading to more timely safety decisions.
Challenges With Wearables in Clinical Trials
As promising as wearable technology in clinical trials is, it does carry a few risks. Most notably, organizations must ensure robust data security before using these devices in trials. Transmitting data wirelessly puts it at more risk than physical documents, which is especially concerning with sensitive data like health information.
According to cybersecurity firm Tenable, there were 293 healthcare data breaches in 2020, exposing more than 100 million records. Since cybercrime in healthcare is growing so rampant, thorough cybersecurity is a must for wearable-based clinical trials.
Ensuring participant compliance may also be a challenge. Without regular visits, it can be difficult to tell if participants are using these devices correctly or even wearing them. Sensors targeted towards determining these factors and wireless alerts may help mitigate this risk.
Wearables Are the Next Step for Clinical Trials
Wearables face a few challenges in clinical trials, but their benefits are too impressive to ignore. Given these benefits, more pharmaceutical companies will likely start introducing wearable technology in clinical trials soon. When organizations overcome the inherent challenges and institute these trials at scale, it’ll lead to faster, safer and more effective drug development.
