Supporting Preventive Musculoskeletal Care for Older Adults at the Intersection of Wearables and U.S. Public Policy:...

Increasing efforts to improve mobility and promote exercise that facilitates healthy aging have generated new opportunities for policymakers and nurses. With the popularity of wearable devices, such as smartwatches, on the rise, governments, health systems, national organizations, and insurance payers are actively engaged in identifying use cases for these devices that help patients manage their conditions in real-world settings; however, less attention has been paid to using wearable devices to prevent the development of risk factors for chronic disease. This is particularly true regarding musculoskeletal (MSK) care, for which a growing number of digital platforms have recently been validated. Numerous pathways for policy reform to support the adoption of wearable devices in everyday living during the preventive phase of MSK disorders have been identified, each of which requires the expertise and engagement of gerontological nurses to shift the focus of aging care from disease management to prevention.