Wearable Healthcare Technology Research Articles

Identifying the influence of obsolescence risk and health beliefs in fitness wearable healthcare technology

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine factors influencing the adoption of fitness wearable technologies (FWTs) by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). A survey was conducted with 574 fitness wearable users in India to test a conceptual Fitness Wearable Adoption Model (FWAM) incorporating additional constructs of obsolescence risk, health belief, and perceived accuracy alongside UTAUT2 variables. Structural equation modeling revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, price value, health belief, and obsolescence risk positively affected adoption intentions, while perceived security had no effect. Perceived accuracy mediated the impact of performance expectancy, while price value mediated the relationship between obsolescence risk and intentions. The research makes key contributions by adapting UTAUT2 to a new context, integrating additional adoption factors, identifying mediating mechanisms, and revealing moderating effects of age. Findings provide valuable insights into consumer acceptance of fitness wearables that can inform strategies for manufacturers, marketers, and health practitioners to promote adoption. A major focus of the investigation is to develop strategies for increasing the adoption of wrist-worn fitness technology that provides an opportunity for fitness wearable technology manufacturers to strengthen relationships with older age groups through effective communication techniques.

Smart Tattoo Sensors 2.0: A Ten-Year Progress Report through a Narrative Review.

The increased interest in sensing tattoos reflects a shift in wearable technology, emphasizing their flexible, skin-adherent nature. These devices, driven by advancements in nanotechnology and materials science, offer highly sensitive and customizable sensors. The growing body of research in this area indicates a rising curiosity in their design and applications, with potential uses ranging from vital sign monitoring to biomarker detection. Sensing tattoos present a promising avenue in wearable healthcare technology, attracting attention from researchers, clinicians, and technology enthusiasts. The objective of this study is to analyze the development, application, and integration of the sensing tattoos in the health domain. A review was conducted on PubMed and Scopus, applying a standard checklist and a qualification process. The outcome reported 37 studies. Sensing tattoos hold transformative potential in health monitoring and physiological sensing, driven by their focus on affordability, user-friendly design, and versatile sensorization solutions. Despite their promise, ongoing refinement is essential, addressing limitations in adhesion, signal quality, biocompatibility, and regulatory complexities. Identified opportunities, including non-invasive health monitoring, multiplexed detection, and cost-effective fabrication methods, open avenues for personalized healthcare applications. However, bridging gaps in medical device standards, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance is imperative for seamless integration. A key theme calls for a holistic, user-centric approach, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration. Balancing innovation with practicality, prioritizing ethics, and fostering collaboration are crucial for the evolution of these technologies. The dynamic state of the field is evident, with active exploration of new frontiers. This overview also provides a roadmap, urging scholars, industry players, and regulators to collectively contribute to the responsible integration of sensing tattoos into daily life.

Self‐Healing Photochromic Elastomer Composites for Wearable UV‐Sensors

AbstractPhotochromic materials have recently received strong interest for the development of wearable ultraviolet (UV) detection technologies because they do not require electronic components, resulting in systems and devices that change color upon irradiation. However, their implementation in wearable technology has lightweight, compliance, and durability (especially under mechanical stress) requirements that are limited by the materials’ properties. Here, a self‐healing photochromic elastomer composite (photoPUSH) consisting of phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) in a self‐healing polyurethane dynamic network with reversible disulfide bonds (PUSH) is presented. The unique properties of the dynamic polymer matrix enable multiple complementary functions in the UV‐sensing composite: i) photochromism via electron donor groups without requiring additional dopants, ii) stretchability and durability via elastomeric properties, iii) healing of extreme mechanical damage via dynamic bonds, and iv) multimaterial integration via adhesive properties. PhotoPUSH composites exhibit excellent durability, tunable sensing range, and no loss of performance under mechanical stress and severe damage, as well as in underwater environments (waterproof). Leveraging these properties, soft, portable, multimaterial photoPUSH‐based UV‐sensing devices are developed for applications in environmental monitoring, packaging, and healthcare wearable technology (including skin‐mounted, textile‐mounted, and wristband devices) in challenging environments and tunable to different skin types.

A Hydrogel-Based Electronic Skin for Touch Detection Using Electrical Impedance Tomography.

Recent advancement in wearable and robot-assisted healthcare technology gives rise to the demand for smart interfaces that allow more efficient human-machine interaction. In this paper, a hydrogel-based soft sensor for subtle touch detection is proposed. Adopting the working principle of a biomedical imaging technology known as electrical impedance tomography (EIT), the sensor produces images that display the electrical conductivity distribution of its sensitive region to enable touch detection. The sensor was made from a natural gelatin hydrogel whose electrical conductivity is considerably less than that of human skin. The low conductivity of the sensor enabled a touch-detection mechanism based on a novel short-circuiting approach, which resulted in the reconstructed images being predominantly affected by the electrical contact between the sensor and fingertips, rather than the conventionally used piezoresistive response of the sensing material. The experimental results indicated that the proposed sensor was promising for detecting subtle contacts without the necessity of exerting a noticeable force on the sensor.

One-Step Fabrication of Paper-Based Inkjet-Printed Graphene for Breath Monitor Sensors

Irregularities in breathing patterns can be detected using breath monitor sensors, and this help clinicians to predict health disorders ranging from sleep disorders to heart failures. Variations in humidity during the inhalation and exhalation of breath have been utilized as a marker to detect breath patterns, and graphene-based devices are the favored sensing media for relative humidity (RH). In general, most graphene-based RH sensors have been used to explore resistance change as a measurement parameter to calibrate against the RH value, and they are prone to noise interference. Here, we fabricated RH sensors using graphene ink as a sensing medium and printed them in the shape of interdigital electrodes on glossy paper using an office inkjet printer. Further, we investigated the capacitance change in the sensor for the RH changes in the range of 10-70%. It exhibited excellent sensitivity with 0.03 pF/% RH, good stability, and high intraday and interday repeatability, with relative standard deviations of 1.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Finally, the sensor was embedded into a face mask and interfaced with a microcontroller, and capacitance change was measured under three different breathing situations: normal breathing, deep breathing, and coughing. The result show that the dominant frequency for normal breath is 0.22 Hz, for deep breath, it is 0.11 Hz, and there was no significant dominant cough frequency due to persistent coughing and inconsistent patterns. Moreover, the sensor exhibited a short response and recovery time (<5 s) during inhalation and exhalation. Thus, the proposed paper-based RH sensor is promising wearable and disposable healthcare technology for clinical and home care health applications.

(Invited) Challenging for High-Performance Oxide-TFT Based Inverters

Metal oxide-Thin-film transistor (oxide-TFT)-based inverter circuit is a critical technology for the development of next-generation cost-effective ubiquitous device applications for wearable information and healthcare technology. However, in contrast to the success of n-channel oxide-TFT that already implemented in state-of-art high-performance flat-panel-displays, the development of oxide-inverter technology, especially p-channel oxide-TFT, still remains the largest challenging in oxide-TFT technology. The absence of reliable high-performance oxide-TFT inverter is mainly attributed to the insufficient device performances of p-channel oxide-TFTs, and especially large off-current causes large device power-consumption. Therefore, developing p-channel oxide-TFT exhibiting a low off-current and sharp s-value is indispensable for low-power operational oxide-inverter circuits.This talk discuss how we improve p-channel oxide TFT performance for oxide-TFT-based inverters. After we review the recent progress of oxide-TFT-based inverter and p-channel oxide-TFTs, we identify the current issues and the remaining challenging for oxide-inverters.To improve the device performances of p-channel oxide-TFT such as SnO-TFT, I present an atomically-ultra-thin oxide channel technology, which offers several advantages such as effective gate control of a conductive metal oxide channel in full-carrier depletion operation mode. This is a promising to improve the devcie performances for several oxide-TFTs having a high carrier-doped oxide channel. To the end, we discuss the device characteristics for oxide-TFT-based-inverter for the ultra-thin oxide-TFT-based CMOS and NMOS inverters.

Kirigami and Mogul‐Patterned Ultra‐Stretchable High‐Performance ZnO Nanowires‐Based Photodetector

AbstractWearable UV photodetectors (PDs) have attracted interest recently for detection of excess exposure of the skin to the UV radiation. Despite numerous advances made in this direction, many challenges remain, particularly in terms of device reliability under extreme mechanical deformations simultaneously and self‐powering, etc. Herein, a self‐powered stretchable PD developed with kirigami‐inspired honeycomb‐patterned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) and coupled with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is presented. After studying in detail the influence of ZnO NWs dispersion medium and metal‐ZnO NWs contacts, a novel fabrication approach employing the structural engineering on NWs‐elastomer composite is used to achieve high stretchability. The fabricated ZnO NWs‐based UV PDs, embedded inside kirigami‐inspired honeycomb‐patterned elastomeric substrate, exhibit unprecedented stretchability (up to 125%) and high‐performance with photo/dark current ratio of ≈5 × 105, responsivity of ≈54 A W−1, and a fast recovery time of 100 ms. Further, the stretchable PD is coupled with flexible TENGs to demonstrate a self‐powered system for potential application in real‐time UV radiation monitoring using advanced wearable healthcare technology.

Validating the moderating role of age in multi-perspective acceptance model of wearable healthcare technology

The recent trend of aging population, not to mention the unprecedented pandemic, draws great attention from the general public about health concerns. Since healthcare information technology is different from non-healthcare information technology, additional contexts should be properly incorporated into technology acceptance research to accurately identify influential factors affecting the acceptance of wearable healthcare technology. Thus, we selectively reconfigured factors from health, privacy, and socio-demographic contexts to formulate a health-aware acceptance model. Then, it was empirically analyzed using structural equation modeling. Based on the results, whereas privacy concerns were directly associated with intention to use wearable healthcare technology, health concerns were not. Moreover, age had a moderating effect on social influence and facilitating conditions. These findings suggest valuable insights that the adoption rate of healthcare technology is increased by 1) keeping personal information securely, 2) facilitating social interaction among users, and 3) offering intuitive user experience for elderly people.

The role of social media elements in driving co-creation and engagement

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a research model examining the impact of five social media marketing (SMM) elements–entertainment, customization, interactivity, electronic-word-of-mouth (eWOM) and trendiness–on consumers' intent to participate in value co-creation and on consumer–brand engagement (CBE) and perceived brand value in turn.Design/methodology/approachThe research model is tested for wearable healthcare technology, a smart-technology product. Data were collected in China from 294 users using a self-administered online survey. Data analysis uses partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsEntertainment, customization and eWOM are the key predictors in driving consumers' value co-creation intention, thereby strengthening the value co-creation process, CBE and perceived brand value. In contrast with previous studies in the area of value co-creation and CBE, the impact of interactivity and trendiness on value co-creation intention is non-significant.Research limitations/implicationsThe research contributes to the literature by providing an understanding of how to use SMM dimensions to drive consumers' value co-creation intention for smart-technology products, such as healthcare-wearable technology. However, this study is cross-sectional in nature and its focus is solely on wearable healthcare technology in China. To enhance the generalizability of the findings, future research might consider a longitudinal design and include comparisons between countries with diverse cultures, along with other types of smart-technology products.Practical implicationsThe findings provide guidance for marketers to enhance CBE and perceived brand value by strengthening consumers' value co-creation intention, using SMM with entertaining and customized content and encouraging positive referrals on social-media platforms.Originality/valueScholarly attention on the importance of SMM in strengthening consumers' value co-creation intention and CBE is limited, and the question of which SMM elements are effective in driving value co-creation and its link to perceived brand value has not been examined. This paper contributes to the marketing literature by developing and empirically testing a research model, revealing entertainment, customization and eWOM as key SMM elements driving value co-creation intention and CBE for a smart-technology product in China.

Driving healthcare wearable technology adoption for Generation Z consumers in Hong Kong

PurposeYoung consumers have increasingly adopted wearable health-care technology to improve their well-being. Drawing on generation cohort theory (GCT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study aims to illuminate the major factors that drive the adoption of health-care wearable technology products by Generation Z (Gen-Z) consumers in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachA self-administrated online survey was used to collect data from a sample of Gen-Z consumers in Hong Kong with experience in using health-care wearable technology. Data analysis was performed using partial least-squares-structural equation modeling to verify four hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal that consumer innovativeness (CI) and electronic word-of-mouth referral (EWOM) are significant predictors of perceived credibility, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, which subsequently drive online engagement intention and adoption intention (AI).Practical implicationsThis research provides practical guidance for marketers of health-care wearable technology products. In particular, CI and EWOM hold the key to young consumers’ product perceptions (and thereby their online engagement and AIs).Originality/valueThis research leverages the insights of GCT to enrich the TAM, specifically by including CI and EWOM as antecedents and online engagement as a consequence in the context of health-care wearable technology. The results of an empirical study enhance theoretical understanding of Gen-Z consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intentions toward health-care wearable technology. They also point to actionable recommendations for marketing this new technology to young consumers.

Wearable technology for baby monitoring: a review

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the major reasons for infant death. Millennial parents' growing concern of SIDS has resulted in the springing up demand for health care services, and the invention of wearable baby monitoring systems. The development of wearable electronics and communication technologies has intensified the potential use of wearable technology in healthcare purposes. As infants are vulnerable to sleeping conditions, effective health monitoring using wearable technology can detect unexpected fall of respiratory rate, heart rate, and oxygen level and alleviate parents' anxiety by notifying sudden critical situations. The purpose of this review paper is to explore and summarize recent developments in the field of baby monitoring wearable technology and their functions to acquiring real-time vital signs. Technological breakthroughs in the field of physical biosensors and electronics integrate into textile materials and their applications in monitoring human vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen level, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate have discussed. A brief introduction to future challenges and recommended considerations during designing baby healthcare wearable technology has also covered.

Predicting antecedents of wearable healthcare technology acceptance by elderly: A combined SEM-Neural Network approach

Wearable healthcare technology (WHT) has the potential to improve access to healthcare information especially to the older population and empower them to play an active role in self-management of their health. Despite their potential benefits, the acceptance and usage of WHT among the elderly are considerably low. However, little research has been conducted to describe any systematic study of the elderly's intention to adopt WHT. The objective of this study was to develop a theoretical model on the basis of extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) with additional constructs- resistance to change, technology anxiety, and self-actualization, to investigate the key predictors of WHT adoption by elderly. The model used in the current study was analyzed in two steps. In the first step, a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to determine significant determinants that affect the adoption of WHT. In the second step, a neural network model was applied to validate the findings in step 1 and establish the relative importance of each determinant to the adoption of WHT. The findings revealed that social influence, performance expectancy, functional congruence, self-actualization, and hedonic motivation had a positive relationship with the adoption of WHT. In addition, technology anxiety and resistance to change posed important but negative influences on WHT acceptance. Surprisingly, the study did not find any significant relationship between effort expectancy and facilitating conditions with behavioral intention to use WHT by the elderly. The results of this research have strong theoretical contributions to the existing literature of WHT. It also provides valuable information for WHT developers and social planners in the design and execution of WHT for the elderly.

P.336Vision DMD: a phase IIb randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo- and active-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of vamorolone in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Vamorolone is a first-in-class steroid that shows the anti-inflammatory efficacy of glucocorticoids while reducing adverse effects of glucocorticoids. Vamorolone, unlike glucocorticoids (prednisone and deflazacort), also shows mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist activity and membrane stabilizing properties. VBP15-004 is a Phase IIb, randomised, double blind, parallel group, placebo and active (prednisone 0.75mg/kg/day) controlled study of two doses of vamorolone in 120 steroid naïve, ambulant DMD boys aged 4 to <7 years. The study primary objectives are to evaluate safety and tolerability of daily doses of vamorolone of 2.0 and 6.0 mg/kg/day and to compare its efficacy (Time to Stand from supine) over a 24-week treatment period vs. placebo. Secondary objectives include additional measures of strength and function (efficacy), and measures of safety. The study includes innovative outcome measures assessing feasibility and clinical relevance for use in future clinical trials including: exploratory safety and efficacy pharmacodynamic biomarkers; novel evaluation of the impact of vamorolone and prednisone on bone health and turnover; mobile health band study investigating the feasibility of wearable healthcare technology for recording activity data; innovative application program for consenting/assenting patients designed to provide information to young children about research and the clinical trial. The study, which opened in August 2018, has been designed in collaboration with patient organisations and is being conducted in 34 sites across 11 countries (USA, Canada, UK, Israel, Australia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Netherlands). Vamorolone has been developed by ReveraGen Biopharma under a venture philanthropy model, in partnership with international non-profit foundations, and the US and EU governments.

Smart technology for healthcare: Exploring the antecedents of adoption intention of healthcare wearable technology.

Technological advancement and personalized health information has led to an increase in people using and responding to wearable technology in the last decade. These changes are often perceived to be beneficial, providing greater information and insights about health for users, organizations and healthcare and government. However, to date, understanding the antecedents of its adoption is limited. Seeking to address this gap, this cross-sectional study examined what factors influence users’ adoption intention of healthcare wearable technology. We used self-administrated online survey to explore adoption intentions of healthcare wearable devices in 171 adults residing in Hong Kong. We analyzed the data by Partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that perceived convenience and perceived irreplaceability are key predictors of perceived usefulness, which in turn strengthens users’ adoption intention. Additionally, the results also reveal that health belief is one of the key predictors of adoption intention. This paper contributes to the extant literature by providing understanding of how to strengthen users’ intention to adopt healthcare wearable technology. This includes the strengthening of perceived convenience and perceived irreplaceability to enhance the perceived usefulness, incorporating the extensive communication in the area of healthcare messages, which is useful in strengthening consumers’ adoption intention in healthcare wearable technology.

The placement position optimization of a biosensor array for wearable healthcare systems

Advancement in wearable healthcare technology allows a digital revolution in healthcare that is intended to extend life length and improve life quality. Until now, numerous efforts for wearable device-mediated healthcare systems have been focused on achieving accurate monitoring and robust operation by developing cutting-edge biosensors rather than by optimizing the placement position of well-established biosensors. Much therefore still remains unclear about the optimal position involved in biosensor placement. This leads to the need for systematic optimization of biosensor placement position. Here, the placement positions of 2 biosensor arrays (i.e., ECG-TC array and PPG-TC array) are optimized to achieve high-accuracy measurement and high-robustness operation in monitoring both body temperature and heart rate, which are commonly measured as core vital signs in wearable healthcare systems. The ECG-TC array is composed of an electrocardiography (ECG) sensor (for heart rate measurement) and a thermocouple (TC) sensor (for body temperature measurement) while the PPG-TC array consists of a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor and a TC sensor. 34 major parts in the human body are scored in terms of monitoring accuracy (MA) and operational robustness (OR), which results in the MA index and OR index. Next, the body part having the maximum value, calculated as the product of two indices, is determined as the optimal placement position. The MA index is calculated from the signal magnitude of each biosensor and the OR index is assessed by quantifying the user accessibility, skin extensibility, and perspiration weight of each body part. Our study shows that the ECG-TC array needs to be placed on armpit, chest, and back thigh and the PPG-TC array on thumb, finger, and ear. This means the optimal placement position of biosensor-based wearable healthcare systems is affected by a combination of different biosensors. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to better understanding of biosensors and lead to further improvement in wearable healthcare devices.

Examining Consumers' Adoption of Wearable Healthcare Technology: The Role of Health Attributes.

With the advancement of information technology, wearable healthcare technology has emerged as one of the promising technologies to improve the wellbeing of individuals. However, the adoption of wearable healthcare technology has lagged when compared to other well-established durable technology products, such as smartphones and tablets, because of the inadequate knowledge of the antecedents of adoption intention. The aim of this paper is to address an identified gap in the literature by empirically testing a theoretical model for examining the impact of consumers’ health beliefs, health information accuracy, and the privacy protection of wearable healthcare technology on perceived usefulness. Importantly, this study also examines the influences of perceived usefulness, consumer innovativeness, and reference group influence on the adoption intention of wearable healthcare technology. The model seeks to enhance understanding of the influential factors in adopting wearable healthcare technology. Finally, suggestions for future research for the empirical investigation of the model are provided.

Physiotherapists' and Physiotherapy Students' Perspectives on the Use of Mobile or Wearable Technology in Their Practice.

Purpose: Although extensive research has been carried out on the determinants of mobile or wearable health care technology (mHealth), as well as on its acceptance by patients and other health care providers, very little research has been done on physiotherapists' perspectives on the use of mHealth in their current or future practice. The aims of this study were to (1) explore the attitudes of physiotherapists toward mHealth using a modified technology acceptance model questionnaire, (2) understand the applications and delivery paradigms that are most desirable, and (3) assess the content validity of the questionnaire. Method: The questionnaire was administered online. Participants (n=76) were recruited using snowball and convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and partial least-squares path modelling. Results: Results indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were related to early adoptive behaviour among participants. We found no evidence that age, gender, experience, or practice setting influenced early adoptive behaviour. Participants demonstrated favourable attitudes toward mHealth tools in clinical practice. Conclusions: This article provides initial insights into factors that are likely to be significant determinants of adoption of mHealth among physiotherapists. Further work, including qualitative research, will help to identify personal and institutional factors that will improve the acceptance of mHealth.

Technical attributes, health attribute, consumer attributes and their roles in adoption intention of healthcare wearable technology

PurposeThis paper aims to explore factors influencing the healthcare wearable technology adoption intention from perspectives of technical attributes (perceived convenience, perceived irreplaceability, perceived credibility and perceived usefulness), health attribute (health belief) and consumer attributes (consumer innovativeness, conspicuous consumption, informational reference group influence and gender difference). Design/methodology/approachBy integrating technology acceptance model, health belief model, snob effect and conformity and reference group theory, hypotheses and research model are proposed. The empirical investigation (N=436) collects research data through questionnaire. FindingsResults show that the adoption intention of healthcare wearable technology is influenced by technical attributes, health attribute and consumer attributes simultaneously. For technical attributes, perceived convenience and perceived credibility both positively affect perceived usefulness, and perceived usefulness influences adoption intention. The relation between perceived irreplaceability and perceived usefulness is only supported by males. For health attribute, health belief affects perceived usefulness for females. For consumer attributes, conspicuous consumption and informational reference group influence can significantly moderate the relation between perceived usefulness and adoption intention and the relation between consumer innovativeness and adoption intention respectively. What’s more, consumer innovativeness significantly affects adoption intention for males. Originality/valueThis paper aims to discuss technical attributes, health attribute and consumer attributes and their roles in the adoption intention of healthcare wearable technology. Findings may provide enlightenment to differentiate product developing and marketing strategies and provide some implications for clinical medicine.

An empirical study of wearable technology acceptance in healthcare

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors associated with consumer’s intention to adopt wearable technology in healthcare, and to examine the moderating effects of product type on consumer’s adoption intention. Design/methodology/approach – An integrated acceptance model was developed based on unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2), protection motivation theory (PMT), and privacy calculus theory. The model was tested with 462 respondents using a survey. Findings – Consumer’s decision to adopt healthcare wearable technology is affected by factors from technology, health, and privacy perspectives. Specially, fitness device users care more about hedonic motivation, functional congruence, social influence, perceived privacy risk, and perceived vulnerability, but medical device users pay more attention to perceived expectancy, self-efficacy, effort expectancy, and perceived severity. Originality/value – This study is among the first to investigate healthcare wearable device from behavioral perspective. It also helps to comprehensively understand emerging health information technology (HIT) acceptance from technology, health, and privacy perspectives.