The state of wearable health technologies: a transdisciplinary literature review

Abstract

This review evaluated transdisciplinary empirical research on wearable health technologies using the input-mechanism-output model and addressed a major concern relating to the invasiveness of wearables. The dataset consisted of 250 published papers that investigated wearables for health-related purposes. Papers focused on technological inputs and health output factors, de-emphasizing theoretical mechanisms that could effectively translate the former into the latter. The lack of transdisciplinary research in the field is limiting both identification of effectiveness and evidence of beneficial health outcomes, with a considerable divide between technologists and public health researchers. Privacy concerns relate to increasing trends in collecting data for mental health and physical health, with the latter escalating exponentially. Invasiveness of wearables has increased over time in terms of collected signals and the derived health information, monitoring both users and their social and physical environments. We conclude with reflections for conceptual development, commercial application and policy regulation.