E-textiles in healthcare: a systematic literature review of wearable technologies for monitoring and enhancing human health

• Published in: Neural Computing and Applications
• Main Author: Wang C.; Fu L.; Ametefe D.S.; Wang S.; John D.
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85213532137&doi=10.1007%2fs00521-024-10947-z&partnerID=40&md5=936aee4b88f90072d1b3eb26a7637d6a

Integrating electronic textiles (E-Textiles) into healthcare presents significant advancements in patient monitoring and personalised care. This systematic literature review aims to assess the current state of E-Textile applications, focusing on their role in enhancing human health. Specifically, the review evaluates how E-Textiles contribute to real-time health monitoring, rehabilitation, and chronic disease management while identifying the challenges and opportunities for future implementation in healthcare systems. Following a systematic search of PubMed and IEEE Xplore, 48 studies were selected based on stringent inclusion criteria related to the design and functionality of E-Textiles for healthcare applications. These studies were analysed using the PRISMA framework, ensuring methodological rigour in selecting the most relevant literature. The review’s findings reveal that E-Textiles enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of vital signs, improve patient engagement, and offer potential in remote healthcare delivery. Key advancements include sensor integration, IoT connectivity, and machine learning for health data analysis, which collectively enhance the personalisation and efficiency of medical interventions. However, challenges remain in areas such as cost, data privacy, and scalability within existing healthcare systems, particularly in resource-limited settings. Future applications of E-Textiles are expected to focus on expanding their use in personalised medicine, telehealth, and long-term patient care, promising a shift towards more accessible and efficient healthcare solutions. Hence, continued interdisciplinary research is essential to overcome current limitations and ensure the widespread adoption of this innovative technology. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2024.