Wearables Proving Difficult To Use

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Your patients might be interested in the latest health technology fad of wearable health and fitness trackers - but the majority of users say they have problems using them.

Don’t get too excited about the potential of wearable health devices. According to a recent survey, although 12 percent of respondents planned to buy a wearable fitness tracker and another 10 percent planned to buy a wearable health monitor, those who already own them face difficulties managing their devices.

Six percent of respondents to the survey already own a health monitor, while 8 percent own a fitness tracker, but usability issues create major hurdles for these patients attempting to manage their health.

“An alarming 83 percent of those purchasing intelligent devices have difficulty using them, finding them too complicated to use, struggling to set them up properly, discovering they did not work as advertised or being unable to connect them to the Internet – all problems which are encountered quickly after the consumer opens the box of the new device,” explains the survey report from Accenture.

Of those who own these devices and have difficulty using them, iHealth Beat reports the top complaints include:

• 24 percent of respondents said they were too complicated
• 22 percent said the devices did not set up properly
• 21 percent said they did not work as advertised

Other challenges reported by users include:

• 19 percent could not connect to the internet
• 17 percent said the devices were not visually pleasing
• 15 percent said getting accessories and spare parts was a problem
• 15 percent said the device did not have needed features
• 15 percent said the device was not personalized to the user’s needs

MobiHealth News reports the survey also covered other smart devices – such as tablets, HD televisions, and other gadgets. One other type of device that perplexed its users was smart thermostats.