A step in the right direction: the potential role of smartwatches in supporting chronic disease prevention in health care

Abstract

A step in the right direction: the potential role of smartwatches in supporting chronic disease prevention in health care Smartwatches can count every step towards a predict-prevent health care system, but clinical regulation is the first leap A ustralia is struggling with the ever-increasing burden of chronic disease. Over $38 billion per year is spent on care for people with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. 1 The majority of this funding is dedicated to acute care, and just 9.6% of health care investment supports disease prevention. 1 Perversely, Australia's health system is rewarded for increasing acute care activity (activity-based funding) to manage disease, which perpetuates inefficient break-fix models of care. 2 The strain on acute care service provision has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic 3 and Australia's ageing population, and is forecast as unsustainable. 2 Ageing increases total expenditure on hospitalisations, pathology provision, medical imaging, and cost to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. 1 This burden of chronic diseaseassociated with disability and premature death -is becoming less and less sensitive to further extensions in health care spending on treatment. Prevention (as defined in the Supporting Information) is urgently needed; however, dedicated funding, policies and models of preventive care for chronic diseases in communities are minimal, especially for priority populations and high risk social and environmental settings. Digital medicine can enable efficient predictprevent models of health care

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