Wearable Technologies for Vaccines and Therapeutics in Infectious Diseases: A Scoping Review

The continuous tracking of human biometrics through multi-sensor wearable devices marks a paradigm shift in infectious disease care, enabling the transition from reactive, intermittent assessment to continuous monitoring of the host response to vaccines and therapeutics. In this scoping review, we identified applications of wearable technologies spanning the entire intervention lifecycle, from physiological readiness before treatment and continuous safety surveillance to recovery assessment, disease interception, and therapeutic response monitoring. Across studies, wearable-derived physiological signals detected subclinical treatment responses, identified behavioral factors associated with vaccine effectiveness, objectively quantified recovery trajectories, and enabled real-time monitoring of adherence and drug-related adverse events. Emerging technologies extended beyond monitoring, demonstrating the feasibility of closed-loop systems that couple with physiological sensing directly to therapeutic action. Together, these findings suggest that wearable technologies are evolving from tools that passively observe health into platforms that continuously characterize and potentially optimize the response to infectious disease interventions. As sensing technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital therapeutics converge, infectious disease management may shift from episodic evaluation toward personalized, adaptive, and data-driven care. A critical next step is determining whether wearable-guided interventions can improve clinical outcomes, rather than simply detect physiological changes.