Smartwatches are no longer just fashion accessories: they capture, analyze, and alert about the health of their users. But how much can we trust them with health data? Can they really become a reliable tool for monitoring the health of your patients? In this article, discover their potential, their limitations, and how they are already transforming medical follow-up.
What is a smartwatch in the medical context?
A smartwatch is a wrist-worn device that integrates various sensors connected to software that measures, stores, and sometimes analyzes physiological and behavioral data.
They can measure in particular:
- heart rate
- respiratory rate
- step count
- sleep quality
- blood pressure
- sometimes oxygen saturation (SpO₂)
Why are patients so interested in smartwatches?
Younger generations, especially millennials, are massively adopting these tools to track and improve their health data. Their desire for self-assessment represents a unique opportunity for you: when properly used, this information can enrich patient monitoring, provided it is correctly interpreted and placed in the right medical context.
Accuracy and reliability of smartwatches: what to expect?
Smartwatches now include a series of sensors that enable continuous collection of physiological data: patients essentially carry a real health dashboard in their pocket.
For you as a healthcare professional, this opens up the perspective of unprecedented continuous monitoring. However, one key question remains: is smartwatch accuracy sufficient? On this point, medical instruments remain the reference. Still, smartwatches bring unique complementary value:
- They are worn continuously
- They allow data collection over several weeks or months
- They can assist you in daily patient monitoring
Various features to support patient monitoring
Smartwatches allow the monitoring of many health variables of your patients thanks to their many sensors. Here is a list of smartwatch features with their advantages and limitations:
Blood pressure
Wrist-based measurement remains imprecise compared to a validated sphygmomanometer. Nevertheless, daily repetition of measurements can reveal interesting fluctuations.
Concrete example: For a patient being monitored for hypertension, the smartwatch can record several measurements per day. Even if precision is not perfect, it can reveal a recurring morning increase, leading the practitioner to adjust antihypertensive treatment.
Heart rate measurement and arrhythmias
Photoplethysmography makes it possible to measure the pulse continuously. Some watches even alert for a suspected atrial fibrillation.
Concrete example: Your hypertensive patient wearing a smartwatch regularly receives irregular heartbeat alerts. During consultation, this data can lead you to request an ECG, helping diagnose early atrial fibrillation.
Physical activity and rehabilitation
Activity tracking (steps, exercise intensity) is one of the most reliable smartwatch functions. They can become valuable allies in promoting physical activity and rehabilitation.
Concrete example: After a knee replacement, a patient tracks their daily step count with their watch. The orthopedic surgeon can check whether the gradual return to activity matches the rehabilitation goals.
Sleep tracking
Smartwatches analyze sleep duration and sleep phases. While less precise than polysomnography, they provide useful information on lifestyle habits and nighttime awakenings.
Concrete example: A patient complains of chronic fatigue. The watch data reveals frequent awakenings, leading the doctor to explore sleep disorders and suspect sleep apnea.
Oxygen saturation and breathing
Thanks to integrated oximeters, some watches measure oxygen saturation (SpO₂). Again, reliability varies, but observing trends can help in monitoring chronic respiratory diseases.
Concrete example: For a patient with COPD, the watch regularly shows SpO₂ values below 90% during exertion. This information prompts the pulmonologist to adjust monitoring and consider closer follow-up.
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A tool for remote monitoring
One of the main strengths of smartwatches is their role in remote monitoring. In teleconsultation, having data collected by the patient improves the quality of the exchange and strengthens the relevance of medical decisions.
In managing chronic diseases, they make it possible to:
- Detect early warning signs,
- Anticipate decompensation,
- Optimize follow-up for patients who are remote or less available.
Combined with teleconsultation solutions like OneDoc Visio, they become a concrete asset for more personalized follow-up.
Towards a new relationship between patient and professional
Smartwatches will not replace clinical expertise or validated instruments, but they are transforming the dynamics of care: for you as a healthcare professional, they represent a valuable opportunity in patient engagement and chronic disease management.
When properly used, they fit into a more collaborative and preventive medicine.
