Sapienza University of Rome in Italy has created a game changer in medicine. They have developed a way for patients of cancer surgery to go home early and recover in comfort while freeing up hospital beds for other patients. All they have to do is wear a t-shirt.
In a pilot study involving 70 patients, a new t-shirt that measures and keeps track of vital signs is showing promise as it has reportedly provided more feelings of comfort and safety among patients compared to the control group that recovered without wearable tech. Professor Antonio Pastore wanted to see if patients from robot-assisted urological cancer surgery would be discharged earlier than normal thanks to the garment, and it’s been successful so far.
A new t-shirt could open up more hospital beds for patients.Photo credit: Canva
The control group in the study experienced the typical recovery of the operation, staying under observation in the hospital for two to five days to recover and have their vitals monitored. The other group was discharged earlier, but was told to wear a t-shirt made from LET’s Wearable Solutions that would monitor their vital signs such as ECG, heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, and body temperature among others.
This allowed patients to recover comfortably at home while wearing the shirt under their clothes in three-hour blocks for two weeks, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 am, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The data collected would be sent to an app and software that their physicians could access, and offered information that other smart wearable devices don’t collect.
Wearable solutions could be revolutionary.Photo credit: Canva
"It can reveal more data, including electrolytes, which we need to continue to monitor after bladder surgery as they can reveal mineral imbalances that lead to serious complications,” Pastore told CBS 19 News. “Our patients found the t-shirt easy to use and over 90% reported it allowed them to feel safe and cared for while recuperating at home.”
In the study, eight participants who weren’t given a t-shirt had to report to the hospital before their scheduled follow-up compared to the two that were given a shirt. Along with successfully monitoring the patients, the t-shirt also detected the onset of cardiological conditions in five patients, which allowed them to get early preventative treatment that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
While this trial run shows promise, further testing needs to be done to cement their findings along with determining the cost effectiveness of mass production of these shirts to distribute to hospitals.
This t-shirt is just the latest in a movement to create more and more wearable tech as a means of monitoring a person’s health and tracking their improvement between doctor appointments. Many diabetics wear CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) devices with smart phone apps to monitor their blood sugar levels throughout the day and between meals. There are also various watches and wrist bands that can monitor a person’s blood pressure, sleep, heart rate, and other such vitals throughout each day to report to their doctor.
Many wearable tech devices could help you monitor your health.Photo credit: Canva
While this technology can certainly be helpful in preventative healthcare and for patients to see if certain medications are working between doctor visits, some of this tech is still costly and may not be fully covered by insurance depending on your provider. That said, these are great tools that can empower patients and give them personal accountability in their care, but it is still highly recommended not to have such technology replace a doctor or doctor visits.
As technology advances, it is still important for patients and doctors to engage with one another to ensure that the best treatment is given and received.
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.