Top 6 Wearable Devices in Healthcare

Anyone with diabetes will tell you that daily finger pricks to measure glucose levels become tiring. Luckily, innovation has created a wearable called a continuous glucose monitor, often referred to as a CGM. These small devices look like a patch from the outside, and they stick to the arm or stomach using a painless needle and a super-adhesive surface. The CGM measures blood sugar levels 24/7 and sends information to a smartphone. Then, the information can be used to spot irregularities and bring blood sugar back to its regular level.

CGM technology has advanced significantly since the early models. The latest generation devices — including Dexcom G7 and Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 — are smaller than a coin, last up to 15 days, and integrate directly with Apple Watch and Android Wear. In 2024, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter CGM, making continuous glucose monitoring accessible to the general population for the first time — not just diabetics, but anyone interested in understanding how food, exercise, and sleep affect their blood sugar.

Fitbit was founded in 2007 and is the most widely recognized fitness tracker on the market. However, the device spawned more innovative tech from the likes of Samsung, Garmin, and Apple. These companies developed technology for measuring stress levels, blood oxygen, heart rate, and respiration.

As well as dedicated trackers, smartwatches have healthcare-tracking capabilities. However, dedicated fitness trackers are much more efficient because they’re designed to promote and motivate people to get moving and live healthier lifestyles. By 2026 the category has expanded significantly — Apple Watch Series 10 now includes skin temperature sensing and advanced sleep staging, while Garmin’s clinical-grade wearables are being used in formal research studies. The line between consumer fitness device and medical monitoring tool is blurring rapidly.

Electronic skin patches have been creeping into the healthcare industry since around 2018 and continue to see a rise in popularity. These patches are similar to CGMs, but they adhere to the skin without a needle. Wireless transmitters inside the patch send vital information to smartphones or healthcare professionals. There are many different types of electronic skin patches covering a wide range of monitoring needs.

The category has matured significantly since COVID-19 accelerated remote patient monitoring adoption. Patches now measure ECG, body temperature, respiratory rate, hydration levels, and even wound healing status. iRhythm’s Zio patch — a single-use 14-day cardiac monitor — has become one of the most prescribed cardiac monitoring devices in the US, largely replacing the older Holter monitor that required a hospital visit to fit and remove.

Wearables, including smartwatches and fitness trackers, have burst into the commercial and health markets, and with good reason. Joining in on the wearables revolution is electrocardiogram (ECG) tech, which comes included with many different smartwatches and trackers.

Being able to measure heart activity and recognize anomalies is great news for healthcare professionals. In particular, ECG monitors have the power to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a condition that often goes unnoticed. Apple Watch’s ECG feature has been credited with detecting AFib in thousands of users who had no prior symptoms — several of whom later reported that the detection prompted medical consultations that revealed serious underlying conditions. In 2026, wrist-based ECG has moved from novelty to genuine clinical tool, with several major health insurers now covering Apple Watch as a preventive cardiac monitoring device for at-risk patients.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that one in every four adults over 65 falls every year. Wearable devices can be given to high-risk individuals, who can be provided with immediate care in the event of a fall. This helps to give independence to aging adults for much longer, which is great for their mental health and frees up spaces in care homes.

Most alerting devices are either attached to clothes or worn around the wrist, and they have wireless transmitters for sending fall alerts to healthcare providers. Information can be accessed via smartphone, meaning close family can receive alerts as well. The Apple Watch’s crash detection and fall detection features have made consumer smartwatches a genuine fall-alert device for millions of older adults. More dedicated medical alert systems — like those from Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical — have also integrated GPS tracking and two-way communication, allowing elderly users to get help wherever they are, not just at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for remote contact, and the healthcare industry was no different. Wearable drug delivery devices aren’t new, but they align perfectly with the remote world of the pandemic and have seen improvements over the last few years.

The wearable drug delivery market is growing rapidly, driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases requiring regular medication and the desire for alternatives to frequent hospital visits. Examples of wearable drug delivery systems include discreet injectors, subcutaneous devices, and needle-free injectors. One of the most commercially significant recent developments is the wearable insulin patch pump — devices like the Omnipod 5, which automates insulin delivery based on CGM data, represent a complete closed-loop diabetes management system worn entirely on the body. The market is expected to exceed $12 billion by 2028.