[Consumer wearables, cardiology and clinical practice]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Consumer wearables offer continuous cardiac monitoring via photoplethysmography and electrocardiography.
• Approximately 20% of the Danish population shares wearable data with healthcare providers.
• Existing evidence supports high accuracy in detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) using wearable devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the accuracy of wearable devices in detecting atrial fibrillation (AF).
• To discuss the controversies and ethical challenges surrounding anticoagulation for device-detected AF.
• To explore the requirements for successful clinical integration of wearable cardiac monitoring data.

Main Methods:

• Review of current evidence on wearable cardiac monitoring accuracy for AF detection.
• Analysis of ethical considerations, including data quality, interoperability, health equity, fairness, and privacy.
• Examination of factors necessary for clinical integration, such as standardization and guidelines.

Main Results:

• Wearable devices demonstrate high accuracy for atrial fibrillation detection.
• The use of anticoagulation for device-detected AF remains a significant clinical controversy.
• Ethical challenges related to data quality, interoperability, equity, fairness, and privacy are prominent.

Conclusions:

• Clinical integration of wearable data requires standardization, clinician education, and evidence-based guidelines.
• Balancing the opportunities and limitations of consumer wearables is crucial for effective healthcare.
• Further research and policy development are needed to address the complexities of device-detected AF management.