WEARABLES AND MEDICAL DEVICES: IMPACT ON SELF-CARE AND CHRONIC DISEASE MONITORING

Abstract

Wearables and medical devices have been widely adopted in healthcare, especially in the continuous monitoring of patients with chronic diseases and in the promotion of self-care. These devices offer an innovative solution for collecting physiological data in real time, allowing for early and personalized interventions. This integrative review investigated the effectiveness of wearables in different medical specialties, such as cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, mental health, among others. Studies published between 2016 and 2024, from renowned databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore, were analyzed. The results indicate that these devices have shown significant benefits, such as the early detection of cardiac arrhythmias, glucose monitoring in diabetic patients, and the monitoring of symptoms in neurological conditions such as Parkinson's and epilepsy. In addition, mental health-focused devices, such as those that monitor sleep patterns and heart rate variability, have been shown to be effective in diagnosing and managing disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, the review also pointed to persistent challenges, such as the accuracy of the data collected, issues related to information privacy and security, and the high cost of the devices, which limit their accessibility to all layers of the population. The need for standardization and regulation of these devices is also a barrier to their large-scale adoption, although technological advances and integration with artificial intelligence may enhance their clinical applications in the future.