Apple Watch, Fitbit and other devices have been adding health and fitness features, leading wearers to use them as medical tools — and some people are overly concerned about their readings, according to AppleInsider. Wearing an Apple Watch or Fitbit consistently is a boon for anyone concerned about their physical condition. In addition, it gives patients the ability to present long-term health data to doctors, and of course, the Apple Watch is credited with saving countless lives.
However, there is also evidence that these devices are causing anxiety, especially as users appear to use fitness trackers as medical diagnostic tools. According to CNET, anecdotal evidence shows that people repeat the test over and over again if they get unclear results for any reason. Interviewee Bill told CNET that he bought a Fitbit because he was anxious about his health, but that anxiety increased as he kept getting uncertain results.
An inconclusive result on Fitbit just means the device isn’t getting reliable readings. For example, moving too much during the scan could cause this, the company said. But that didn’t reassure Bill, who would later do as many as 20 EKGs a day. He told CNET: If it doesn’t come out, I’m like, ‘Okay, I need it to say ok.’ I’ll keep checking it and see if it’s ok, just to reassure myself that I’m fine.
Dr. Lindsay Rosman, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, has been studying the effects of devices on anxiety. As a researcher, I think this is an amazing tool, Dr. Rosman said. Especially as a clinician in a cardiology clinic, I think it opens the door to a lot of questions and concerns from patients that are not currently being addressed.
As an example, Dr. Rosman recounted how a 70-year-old woman misinterpreted her smartwatch notifications, thinking she had deteriorating heart function. As a result, she had 916 EKGs in a year. According to CNET’s sources, anxiety is only likely to increase as the device adds more features.
To be honest, I do get nervous when I see more of the real clinical data types being used in a consumer way, said Dr. Devin Mann, associate professor of population health and medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center. Because the conditions associated with these data types are kind of scary, people are more likely to be spooked.
The problem is, the Apple Watch and other devices are being sold with more and more health features. Despite the manufacturer’s recommendations, users believe they deserve greater medical accuracy. There’s a difference between fitness measurements and medical devices that provide general guidance, encouraging you to exercise in ways that help you, and to eat more healthy foods, said the heart of the Mayo Clinic Cardiology AI Working Group Disease expert Dr. Paul Friedman told CNET.
And I think the ambiguity of these things creates some confusion. Plus, the medical community around the world has been suggesting recently that the vision of a “healthy future” where the Apple Watch is seen as a true everyday care device may be years away.