“Wearable devices are becoming an increasingly popular platform for healthcare services, particularly given the increasing interest in health, well-being, disease prevention, and fitness, as well as the paradigm shift toward healthcare that is personalized and controlled by individuals. Furthermore, the shift in the medical paradigm, from disease treatment to prevention and health management, has provided the users of wearable devices new experiences that are not available from traditional healthcare-related products and services,” explains a research study on Healthcare wearable devices: an analysis of key factors for continuous use intention.

“Today’s digital wearables, converged products of smart sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, robots, and radar technologies, can help manage and prevent diseases. They can measure the heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and respiration of the elderly living in homes and facilities, and by detecting their risk indicators, such as worsening disease conditions, falls, and other life-threatening situations,” the study elaborates.

 

Why HIPAA compliance matters

As wearable devices generate more detailed healthcare information, providers must find secure ways to communicate with patients about their readings. More specifically, federal law states that providers must safeguard individuals’ protected health information (PHI), like heart rate measurements linked to an identifiable patient, or information about a chronic condition.

HIPAA compliant email solutions, like Paubox, can help healthcare providers securely share wearable device data with their patients and colleagues when necessary. Paubox email uses advanced encryption to safeguard PHI during transmission and at rest, so providers can email a patient a summary of their wearable-recorded blood pressure readings and recommend a follow-up appointment based on the results.

HIPAA compliant emails therefore support wearable data workflows, where patients don’t have to navigate inconvenient patient portals or remember additional login details, because they receive the emails directly in their inbox.

 

Benefits of using HIPAA compliant emails

Convenience

Healthcare wearables are convenient as they “can also support the remote healthcare sector so that individuals may receive healthcare services without restrictions on time and space. Moreover, they hold promise as a solution to such issues as a lack of access to professional medical personnel and for the elderly with limited mobility.”

When combined with HIPAA compliant emails, wearable devices can support continuous communication between patients and healthcare providers, regardless of their location. For example, a patient managing hypertension could use a wearable device to monitor heart rate and blood pressure, then email their healthcare provider to discuss readings that fall outside their usual range. The provider can then review the information and use HIPAA compliant emails to recommend follow-up actions, like visiting the emergency room or scheduling a follow-up appointment.

 

Increasing engagement rates

As evidenced by the above-mentioned study, “The success of healthcare applications is determined by continuous use intention, not just technology acceptance or adoption rates.” This shows that healthcare providers must encourage their patients to engage with their wearable devices.

HIPAA compliant emails allow providers to keep regular contact with their patients. For example, if a patient is recovering from knee replacement surgery, they could use wearable activity tracker data to monitor their step counts and movement patterns. The provider could then review this data and send reminder emails encouraging the patient to follow their prescribed rehabilitation plan and explain how gradual increases in activity support recovery.

 

Improving personalization

The research study identifies “Social factors, as part of the external factors that lead to using a healthcare wearable device or application, [affecting] actual use behavior. This suggests that social influences, like recommendations from friends and family, can affect whether patients adopt and continue using wearable technology.

As such, providers, like physiotherapists, can encourage patients to engage with technology according to their personal needs. For example, a patient recovering from a sports injury may be more inclined to use a fitness tracker after seeing their friends use similar devices to monitor their daily activity. However, the patient's rehabilitation needs may differ from those of their peers. The physiotherapist could use HIPAA compliant email to suggest personalized movement goals, explaining which activity metrics are relevant to their specific recovery.

 

Supporting patient autonomy

Wearable devices can give patients greater involvement in managing their health when they monitor their own health measurements and start recognizing patterns. As the study notes, “such knowledge allows one to search for appropriate health apps that suit the person’s objectives and ways to practice them without difficulty.”

When used together with HIPAA compliant emails, providers can help support patient autonomy, giving patients the control and privacy they need. They can use secure emails to give patients direct access to educational resources based on their healthcare information.

For example, a patient managing hypertension could use a wearable device to monitor their blood pressure and then email their healthcare provider to discuss trends in their readings and better understand their treatment options. The provider could respond with personalized educational materials and explain which readings need further assessment, helping the patient make more informed decisions.

 

Improving preventative care

“With the increasing diversity in and access to methods of health management, many people are placing importance on user-centric health prevention activities,” the research study explains.

Wearable devices can support preventative care as they help patients and providers identify potential changes in health before they develop into more serious problems. Depending on the device, wearables can track measurements like heart rate, physical activity, sleep patterns, and blood oxygen saturation. Providers can review this data, alongside the patient’s medical history, to identify health trends.

For example, if a patient is at risk of cardiovascular disease and their wearable data shows changes in their usual heart rate patterns, their healthcare provider could use HIPAA compliant email to discuss these observations and recommend personalized preventative health advice, like recommendations for physical activity or better sleeping habits.

 

Managing expectations

When recommending wearable devices, healthcare providers must check whether patients can afford the device and if its capabilities would align with the patient’s specific health conditions. For example, a physiotherapist treating a patient recovering from a stroke might consider recommending a wearable activity tracker to monitor daily movement and support rehabilitation, but before making the recommendation, they should check whether the patient can afford the device and operate it independently.

The physiotherapist can use HIPAA compliant emails to ask the patient these questions and discuss suitable alternatives. These secure emails can also be customized to manage patient expectations, like why a device with simpler features may be more appropriate than an expensive device with advanced tracking capabilities that are unnecessary in the patient’s case.

 

Improving patient satisfaction

Patient satisfaction with wearable healthcare technology depends partly on whether the device meets patients' expectations and helps them manage their health. The research study explains, “In other words, believing that usage of a healthcare wearable device would lead to improving one’s expected health could lead to the intention to use the said technology or device.”

The study further notes that “The continuous use intention can be an important contributor to health improvement expectancy as it is a result of customer satisfaction. As customer satisfaction is enhanced when customers’ expectations are met, health improvement expectancy will influence continuous use intention.”

Using HIPAA compliant emails can help healthcare providers improve their overall patient satisfaction rate. In this case, providers can use emails to explain how wearable technology supports patients' health goals. For example, a diabetes educator could recommend a continuous glucose monitor to a patient who struggles to understand how meals and physical activity affect their blood glucose levels. The educator could securely email the patient, explaining how to interpret glucose trends and provide them with personalized educational resources.

 

Coordinating care

HIPAA compliant emails can help coordinate communication between different healthcare providers, so providers can securely share the information obtained from the patient’s wearable device. More specifically, providers can share updates, in terms of the wearable data with their colleagues, so they can better align their treatment plans.

For example, if a patient recovering from a stroke can use a wearable activity tracker to monitor their movement, their physiotherapist can use HIPAA compliant email to share progress updates with the treating physician. If the activity data suggests that the patient is struggling to meet their rehabilitation goals, the healthcare professionals can discuss whether the treatment plan needs to be reassessed. They can also coordinate follow-up appointments via email, preventing potential contradictions or overlaps.

Read also: Improving patient outcomes through care coordination in emails

 

FAQs

Can wearable device data be shared via regular email in healthcare settings?

No. Regular email platforms, like Gmail, do not provide the necessary security features required under HIPAA regulations. Healthcare organizations must use a HIPAA compliant email solution, like Paubox email, which can be integrated with Gmail, so providers have the required security features without interrupting their workflow.

 

Must patients be notified if their wearable device data is shared with healthcare providers under HIPAA?

Under HIPAA law, patients have the right to be informed if their wearable device data is shared with healthcare providers and may need to provide authorization for its use.

 

What are the limitations to the types of wearable device data that can be shared via email?

While HIPAA does not specifically limit the types of wearable device data that can be shared via email, healthcare providers must only share the minimum required data and implement appropriate security measures for protecting patient privacy.