Ensuring that patients are compliant with taking their prescribed medications at the correct time and determining that the appropriate response is achieved is critical for patient care. Devices that can provide physicians with accurate information related to adherence and response are likely to increase the efficiency of medical care.
Helius by Proteus Digital Health
Although not strictly “wearable”, Helius is a consumable pill loaded with sensors that collects data on medication adherence and treatment response. The sensors are embedded into the pill during manufacturing. After ingestion, gastric fluid in the stomach reacts with the thin layers of gold, copper, and magnesium in the pill to power the device by beginning an electrochemical reaction. The sensors communicate with a skin patch that contains a digital code to identify the type and dose of medication and the time of ingestion. It also correlates the data with other parameters, including sleep quality, heart rate, blood pressure, and physical activity. The skin patch transmits all data to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, which allows users and physicians to monitor the data in real-time.