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A step in the right direction: the potential role of smartwatches in supporting chronic disease prevention in health care
Smartwatches can count every step towards a predictprevent health care system, but clinical regulation is the first leap Australia is struggling with the everincreasing burden of chronic disease. Over $38 billion per year is spent on care for people with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.1 The majority of this funding is dedicated to acute care, and just 9.6% of health care investment supports disease prevention.1 Perversely, Australia’s health system is rewarded for increasing acute care activity (activitybased funding) to manage disease, which perpetuates inefficient breakfix models of care.2 The strain on acute care service provision has been accelerated by the COVID19 pandemic3 and Australia’s…