Earlier this month, Whoop launched Whoop 4.0, which tracks oxygen level, skin temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.Whoop and Halo have unveiled new healthcare features within the past year, likely in hopes of catching the attention of new research partners: What it means for other smartwatch entrants: Entrants like Amazon Halo and Whoop have a long way to go to catch up to Apple and Fitbit in clinical research. About 42.8% of US suburban doctors report patients typically share wearable data with them during a visit-but overburdened docs don’t always find this helpful, since many prefer to rely on tried and tested tools like on-site EKG machines instead.Docs at health systems like Penn Medicine have stated that patients often “inundate” them with wearable trackings.What its means for doctors and patients: Even if Apple’s tech becomes better at catching early cases of AFib, the results will still need to be interpreted by a doctor.īetter smartwatch tech may actually hurt more than help-doctors may become even more inundated with Apple EKG readings. Cardiologists previously indicated further tech advances were needed for the Watch before docs can use it to regularly inform their care decisions.In an early 2020 small study, Cleveland Clinic researchers found that the Apple Watch 4 only identified less than half (41%) of AFib instances, which means the Watch wasn’t as reliable as traditional clinical methods.īut Apple’s new research results suggests it’s trying to make its tools more trustworthy in the eyes of clinicians:.Apple wants to prove this, considering past research indicated the Apple Watch may not be completely on par with traditional EKG readings.The new study results could help prove the Watch’s credibility as a viable diagnostic tool:
What it means for Apple:Clinicians could view the Apple Watch as a higher-caliber clinical tool than before. Nearly 31% of participants who didn’t have any detection of AFib with their traditional EKG patch reported a subsequent AFib diagnosis at the end of Apple’s study.