Wearable Technologies in Pediatric Surgery and Urology: Applications, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Background

Wearable devices have grown into much more than gadgets for counting steps—they’re now trusted tools in pediatric surgery and urology. For kids, they make a big difference by watching their health all the time, catching issues before they get worse, and helping doctors create care plans that fit each child’s needs, which is so important when working with little ones who can’t always tell us how they feel. This paper explores how these tools are helping, the problems we’re running into, and what’s coming next to make things even better.

Methods

I reviewed studies from 2020 to 2025 that focus on wearable technologies in pediatric surgery and urology, diving into how these devices work, their real-world results, and what affects their use, like engineering designs and rules for medical devices.

Results

In pediatric surgery, smart patches can spot wound infections with 92% accuracy, while chest sensors cut anesthesia-related issues by 30% during recovery. In urology, wearable bladder sensors help track pee patterns in kids with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), and smart belly patches keep tabs on babies in the womb at risk for hydronephrosis, a kidney swelling condition. But there are hurdles: Motion sensors often miss the mark by 5–15% in active kids, 40% of families stop using these devices within 6 months, and there aren’t enough clear rules for kid-specific wearables. New ideas, like sensors that dissolve after use and AI tools to analyze data, could help solve these problems.

Conclusion

Wearable technologies can truly change how we care for kids in surgery and urology by offering constant updates and quick action when something’s wrong. Still, we need to work together—engineers, doctors, and lawmakers—to fix issues like spotty accuracy and kids not wanting to wear them, so these tools can do their best. Looking ahead, I see a future with gentler, kid-friendly designs that work smoothly with online doctor visits.