LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Reading the vital signs body temperature, pulse rate, and respiration rate — plus blood pressure — has become easier with wearable gadgets. When we were told to watch out for symptoms associated with Covid-19 infection, many of us reached out for a couple of gadgets and started doing it with unwarranted frequency. In most households today, an oximeter has found a place next to the digital thermometer, when just last year you had to be in a hospital bed before one was attached to your forefinger.
The upside is we are now more attuned to our bodily functions, knowledgeable of our general state of health, and presumably better able to maintain it.
Our regular arsenal of wearables keeps growing, some incorporated as functions in devices we normally carry or wear. Smart watches can track heart rate and monitor sleep, the comprehensive record of which can be stored in cloud and downloaded and analyzed on demand. Smartphones go beyond these shared functionalities, and even go as far as remind you when to take your medication, get a restorative sleep, or consume your meal for optimum results. Smartphones are also heart rate monitors and fitness trackers, and in cases of emergency, they can call for assistance and offer up their owner’s medical record — vital signs, known allergies, history of illnesses — to first responders.
Beyond readings, wearable technologies are able to do more things way smarter than we can. I often visit med-technews.com for a glimpse of what’s out there to keep me in step with the sci-fi graphic novels that I follow. And there are riches to discover: Smart bandages with sensors that know how much pressure to apply on a gash, take the patient’s temperature, and henceforth monitor healing; anti-viral wearables that actually deactivate viruses and not only shield the wearer from them; wearable sensors that give out real-time glucose readings and ECG. These wearables are preparing us for the new norms in a new world that we can explore with much less trepidation.
Although new wearables and medtech applications are a distance away from biohacking, they are closer to our normal lives than we imagine. I was recently at a pharmacy to pick up my medication when I saw a young woman holding up her hand before a computer camera. On the computer screen was a middle-aged man intently examining the said limb for possible infected rashes. Now this was nothing new; in fact, this was hardly impressive new-fangled high tech. But when we started dreading a visit to a medical clinic even for a minor illness, there was this simple, almost homespun, method that became very useful.
Surely, the pandemic has disrupted the delivery of healthcare services; thankfully, there was — and is — technology. It has effectively bridged physical distances. In this issue, we track the making to an artificial heart-valve, looked into healthcare that extends beyond hospital premises, and asked medical and wellness professionals how they did during the series of lockdowns, chaos and confusion. The answers almost always involve technology.
We are getting ready to travel again. Don’t forget to pack your sunscreen and your wearable devices. You’re welcome.