Promoting Exercise and Fitness- Strategies for Nurse Practitioners and Technologies to Enhance Patient Compliance
As Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), one of the job descriptions of nurse practitioners pertains to their involvement in policy-making through professional nurse organizations such as the American Nurses Association. Subsequently, nurse practitioners may advocate for the creation of a healthy environment that makes it easier for individuals to be physically active where they reside, work, or learn. Further, nurse practitioners may also write to their state representatives about the healthcare policy. As Arabi and Rafii (2017) succinctly stated,
“If nurses do not stand up for challenges that are crucial community, those with competing interests will be the only one whose voices will be heard”.
One technology that can aid patients and providers in promoting physical activity compliance is wearable devices. In its ideal definition, wearable devices encompass electronic devices that individuals wear, which accurately disseminate pertinent exercise, biological, and medical information. Some of the common examples of wearables today include smartwatches and smart jackets. Tokucoglu (2018) affirms that wearable devices are integral in leading individuals towards a better-connected lifestyle. The central role of the device is to gather millions of data points that include but are not only limited to the number of calories burnt after an exercise session.
Notably, it is worth noting that the advancement of wearables has been a welcomed tool for the insurance and healthcare sectors for several reasons. To advocate for healthier lifestyles, insurance companies provide wearable to their clients, who then monitor the health data shared through the devices. The information gathered has an integral role in informing premium prices and can paint a more vivid picture of the client’s overall health (Gao, 2019).
References
Arabi, A., & Rafii, F. (2017). Nurses’ policy influence: A concept analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 19(3), 315–322. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061635/
Gao. (2019). Emerging Technology in Promoting Physical Activity and Health: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(11), 1830. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8111830
Tokucoglu, F. (2018). Monitoring physical activity with wearable technologies. Archives of Neuropsychiatry, 11(12). https://doi.org/10.29399/