80% of mobile “wearable” medical devices today are focused on the treatment of chronic disease; some are good, some “garbage,” and in any event more than half of them will disappear in three years.

This was the view expressed by an expert panel convened in the Boston Office of Duane Morris on October 16; the panel included executives from Samsung, Vodafone, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Zaffre (the venture capital arm of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts).

Wearables today focus on that which can be seen or measured; diabetes, blood pressure, hypertension, and of course the number of steps we take each day. These apps can integrate with application of medicine as needed.

However, the panel does not see this as the primary future of medical “wearables.” Rather, the focus should swing toward monitoring “wellness” by emphasizing