Table 3

A summary of the clinical applications of wearable technology discussed in the included articles

CategoryClinical applicationsArticles
Communication

  • Teleconferencing

  • Teleconsultation

2 5 7 8 11 15–19 21 23–25 27 35 40 68 84 89 90
Education

  • Telemonitoring

  • Self-evaluation through review of recorded intraoperative data (pictures, video, movement data)

2 5–9 11 14 18 21 24–26 28 29 33–38 67 78 84
Safety and efficiency

  • Anaesthesia monitoring

  • Surgical navigation/image guidance

  • Augmented reality

  • Facilitation of surgical checklists

  • Step-by-step surgical procedure guidance in real time for scrub nurses

  • Improved surgical performance/efficiency (speed, accuracy)

  • Improved intraoperative workflows/ergonomics

1–3 5 9 10 12 17 22 25 27 29 31–33 36 44–51 53–63 65–77 80 82 83 85–87 89 90
Information management

  • Photodocumentation

  • Video recordings of surgical procedures

  • Video recordings of patient consultations

  • Voice recorded notes

  • Access to preoperative images (eg, MRI)

3 5–7 9 15–18 20 23 27 34 38–43 49