| Abstract: |
Wearable Medical Devices (WMDs) are technologies that are readily utilized by healthcare professionals to track, monitor, and record patient vitals to promote precision medicine. WMDs’ are personal health surveillance monitoring systems that integrate information and communication technologies, electronic chip technology, and biosensor technology. Thus, personal health surveillance monitoring recorded data including heart rate, blood Oxygen saturation level (SpO2), sleep patterns, movement, Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, body temperature, and glucose levels in the blood. While the personal health surveillance data collected can aid in the delivery of Precision Patient Care (PPC), WMDs are known to be prone to data breaches, violation of privacy, and inaccuracy. Personal health surveillance data breach refers to unauthorized access to electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) without the permission of the data custodian or owner. Violation of privacy is defined as the actions that infringe upon an individual's privacy rights whether it involves authorized or unauthorized access. Health data privacy violations inappropriate disclosure, misuse, or mishandling of personal ePHI. Moreover, WMDs accuracy refers to the precision of the health data collected, and the reliability of the data measured or extracted from the device. In this study, we analyzed healthcare professionals’ perceptions of data breaches, violation of privacy, and inaccuracy of WMDs, as well as the likelihood of recommending its use to their patients. We also analyzed whether healthcare professionals who are aligned with PPC medicine are likely to recommend WMD to their patients. Moreover, we assessed the satisfaction, cognitive value, and perceived accuracy of personal health data extracted from WMDs. This research project focuses on validating the survey instrument of healthcare professionals' perceptions of WMDs. A team of subject-matter experts validated the survey, including experts from the fields of medicine, nursing, communication, technology, medical coaching, and social work. Following the Delphi method, several rounds of feedback were solicited to validate the survey. We will report on the results of this exploratory research providing insights about healthcare professionals’ perceptions of data breaches, violation of privacy, and inaccuracy of WMDs. |