Following the announcement that Royal Philips has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its wearable biosensor, Philips Biosensor BX100, to monitor confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in hospitals;

Azadeh Laffafian PhD, Medical Device Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“The remote patient monitoring and wearable devices market has continued to grow in the past couple of years and GlobalData expects it to double over the next five years. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many new challenges to the field of healthcare, some of which have further increased the need for these devices.      

“One of the advantages in using wearable biosensors such as Philips Biosensor BX100 is the reduction in direct physical contact between COVID-19 patients and healthcare professionals. This is especially beneficial due to shortages of personal protective equipment experienced around the world. Philips Biosensor BX100 allows for remote continuous monitoring of patients for signs of deterioration. It collects vital sign measurements such as respiratory rate and heart rate in hospitalized patients.

“Several other companies such as Masimo, VivaLNK and iWEECARE have also produced devices that can be used to remotely monitor vital signs such as oxygen saturation, respiratory activity and body temperature.”