Utilizing Data from Wearable Technologies in the Era of Telemedicine to Assess Patient Function and Outcomes in Neurosurgery: Systematic Review and Time-Trend Analysis of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the increased use of telemedicine and the adoption of wearable technology in neurosurgery. We reviewed studies exploring the use of wearables on neurosurgical patients and analyzed wearables' scientific production trends. METHODS: The review encompassed PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Bibliometric analysis was performed using citation data of the included studies through Elsevier's Scopus database. Linear regression was utilized to understand scientific production trends. All analyses were performed on R 4.1.2. RESULTS: We identified 979 studies. After screening, 49 studies were included. Most studies evaluated wearable technology use for patients with spinal pathology (n = 31). The studies were published over a 24-year period (1998-2021). Forty-seven studies involved wearable device use relevant to telemedicine. Bibliometric analysis revealed a compounded annual growth rate of 7.3%, adjusted for inflation, in annual scientific production from 1998 to 2021 (coefficient=1.3; 95% Confidence Interval = [0.7, 1.9], P < 0.01). Scientific production steadily increased in 2014 (n = 1) and peaked from 2019 (n = 8) to 2021 (n = 13) in correlation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Publications spanned 34 journals, averaged 24.4 citations per article, 3.0 citations per year per article, and 8.3 authors per article. CONCLUSION: Wearables can provide clinicians with objective measurements to determine patient function and quality of life. The rise in articles related to wearables in neurosurgery demonstrates the increased adoption of wearable devices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wearable devices appear to be a key component in this era of telemedicine and their positive utility and practicality are increasingly being realized in neurosurgery.

Toward closed-loop drug delivery: Integrating wearable technologies with transdermal drug delivery systems.

The recent advancement and prevalence of wearable technologies and their ability to make digital measurements of vital signs and wellness parameters have triggered a new paradigm in the management of diseases. Drug delivery as a function of stimuli or response from wearable, closed-loop systems can offer real-time on-demand or preprogrammed drug delivery capability and offer total management of disease states. Here we review the key opportunities in this space for development of closed-loop systems, given the advent of digital wearable technologies. Particular considerations and focus are given to closed-loop systems combined with transdermal drug delivery technologies.

Telehealth in the time of Corona: 'doctor in the house'.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many physicians working from home whenever possible. Although the concept of 'remote' patient care has been around for decades, present circumstances have provided a grand impetus in that direction with a view to protecting both patient and caregiver. In this article, we discuss some of the various challenges to moving forward with telemedicine, drawing in part on our own experiences in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical, technical, financial and cultural barriers to telemedicine are identified, along with a discussion concerning anticipated benefits. We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely forever change how healthcare is conducted as telemedicine figures increasingly prominently in the clinical landscape.

Wearable electrochemical biosensors in North America.

Tremendous research and commercialization efforts around the world are focused on developing novel wearable electrochemical biosensors that can noninvasively and continuously screen for biochemical markers in body fluids for the prognosis, diagnosis and management of diseases, as well as the monitoring of fitness. Researchers in North America are leading the development of innovative wearable platforms that can comfortably comply to the human body and efficiently sample fluids such as sweat, interstitial fluids, tear and saliva for the electrochemical detection of biomarkers through various sensing approaches such as potentiometric ion selective electrodes and amperometric enzymatic sensors. We start this review with a historical timeline overviewing the major milestones in the development of wearable electrochemical sensors by North American institutions. We then describe how such research efforts have led to pioneering developments and are driving the advancement and commercialization of wearable electrochemical sensors: from minimally invasive continuous glucose monitors for chronic disease management to non-invasive sweat electrolyte sensors for dehydration monitoring in fitness applications. While many countries across the globe have contributed significantly to this rapidly emerging field, their contributions are beyond the scope of this review. Furthermore, we share our perspective on the promising future of wearable electrochemical sensors in applications spanning from remote and personalized healthcare to wellness.