Today’s wearable tech devices use powerful sensors, microprocessors, and analytics capabilities to provide smart health capabilities that go beyond merely counting steps. Patients and healthcare professionals can now rely on medical wearables for early diagnosis, medical adherence, remote patient monitoring, and even treatment of illnesses.

There is no question that wearables are disrupting the healthcare industry. The majority (60%) of healthcare organizations globally have introduced IoT devices into their facilities and 5 million individuals are expected to be remotely monitored by healthcare providers by 2023.

The inherent security vulnerabilities of medical wearables, however, can hinder further adoption.

Medical wearables security should never be an afterthought because healthcare is one of the most targeted sectors for malicious activity. Novel and sophisticated attacks are emerging and the FDA warns that connected medical devices such as wearables can be used as a launch point for attacks. The FDA requires security, and the requirements are becoming more strict.

In our latest eBook, THE MEDICAL WEARABLES DILEMMA:The Power and Security Challenges Inherent in Wearable Healthcare Devices, we explain why data security challenges for a wearable device are much higher than for an endpoint in a fixed location. It also underscores the importance of security-by-design and provides the steps to adopting a security-by-design approach.

The following key topics are also discussed in the ebook:

• How wearables are disrupting the healthcare industry
• Physiological sensors used in wearables
• Power limitations of medical wearables
• Ultra-low-power design
• Wireless charging
• Selecting the right wireless standard

Security is required, not optional, in medical devices. This is why you should ensure that you develop your devices and applications with security in mind. If security is part of the design blueprint, you can proactively anticipate device vulnerabilities and mitigate risks.

Download the ebook to get an overview of the various power and security constraints of medical wearables and how implementing novel approaches such as wireless charging and selecting the best-fit wireless standards can help improve the usability, portability, and sustainability of medical wearables.