Digital health and wearable technologies have taken that old adage that “necessity is the mother of invention” literally.  What was once just a sports focused niche, is now a player in the transformation of the healthcare delivery system.  Smartphones and tablets are commonplace tools  for everything from EHR documentation to telemedicine, and digital/wearable technologies have the potential to become just as pervasive. These advances are more compact, lighter and provide real-time medical data that is particularly important for treatment of cardiac patients.

We are constantly researching new  technologies for our rehab professionals to apply to their practices.  Be on the lookout for the following 3 which will hit markets soon:

HRM Earphone:  LG’s lightweight, all weather earphones and armband monitor replace uncomfortable chest strap models.  Biometrics, including heart rate, can be sent directly to a therapist’s smartphone. A built-in microphone enables phone communications at the first sign of a problem.

Instabeat:  If aquatic therapy is part of your rehab arsenal, you might want to have patients or your facility invest in these waterproof goggles.  Now in pre-orders, they monitor heart rate during a swim, displaying this data on the lens.  The information is easily uploaded to a smartphone, and shared with a patient’s cardiac care team.

Aura:  Changes in normal circadian rhythms can lead to hypertension, arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions and even cardiac death.  The two piece Aura restores circadian rhythms and monitors heart rate while asleep.  Data uploaded to the smartphone app is particularly useful for outpatient assessments of overall cardiac health.

At Centra we know the difference that cutting edge technology can make in the lives of patients and their caregivers.  We rely on cutting edge technology to assist our PTs, PTAs, OTs, and COTAs find the perfect job opportunity, be it in cardiac care or another specialty.  Contact our team today at 800 535 0076 see how!