Commentary: Is Wearable Fitness Technology a Medically Approved Device? Yes and No

Jennifer L Scheid; Jennifer L Reed; Sarah L West

doi:10.3390/ijerph20136230

Commentary: Is Wearable Fitness Technology a Medically Approved Device? Yes and No

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jun 27;20(13):6230. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20136230.

Authors

Jennifer L Scheid¹, Jennifer L Reed^{2

3

4}, Sarah L West^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Therapy, Daemen University, Amherst, NY 14226, USA.
² Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada.
³ School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada.
⁴ School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada.
⁵ Department of Kinesiology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
⁶ Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.

Abstract

Wearable technologies, i.e., activity trackers and fitness watches, are extremely popular and have been increasingly integrated into medical research and clinical practice. To assist in optimizing health, wellness, or medical care, these devices require collaboration between researchers, healthcare providers, and wearable technology companies in order to clarify their clinical capabilities and educate consumers on the utilities and limitations of the wide-ranging wearable devices. Interestingly, activity trackers and fitness watches often track both health/wellness and medical information within the same device. In this commentary, we will focus our discussions regarding wearable technology on (1) defining and explaining the technical differences between tracking health, wellness, and medical information; (2) providing examples of health and wellness compared to medical tracking; (3) describing the potential medical benefits of wearable technology and its applications in clinical populations; and (4) elucidating the potential risks of wearable technology. We conclude that while wearable devices are powerful and informative tools, further research is needed to improve its clinical applications.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; fitness; heart rate; wearable technology.

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research*
Exercise
Fitness Trackers
Technology
Wearable Electronic Devices*

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.