Doctors Can Now Use Data From Apple Watch, Fitbit to Spot Health Issues
The American Academy of Neurology released new guidance telling doctors how to use data from Apple Watches, Fitbits, and other wearable devices to help diagnose health problems. The guidance shows doctors how to read heart rate, sleep, and activity data that patients bring from their devices.
Doctors now have official guidance on how to use data from your Apple Watch, Fitbit, or other wearable devices to help diagnose health problems. The American Academy of Neurology released new recommendations showing doctors how to interpret the heart rate, sleep patterns, and movement data these devices collect.
Dr. Benish, who wrote the guidance, says wearable data gives doctors much more information than they could get from a short office visit. "If one of our patients brings in data from a wearable, it expands how much information we can look at," she explained.
The guidance focuses on helping doctors spot neurological conditions - problems with the brain and nervous system. Wearable devices can track changes in movement, sleep quality, and heart rhythm that might signal early signs of conditions like Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, or stroke risk.
This is the first formal guidance from a major medical group on using consumer wearable data in patient care. Until now, many doctors weren't sure how to use the information patients brought from their devices.
If you wear a smartwatch or fitness tracker, your doctor can now use that data to spot early signs of serious health issues you might miss. This could help catch problems like irregular heartbeats, sleep disorders, or movement issues before they get worse.
More medical groups are expected to release similar guidance on using wearable device data in patient care.
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