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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-06, Vol.20 (13), p.6230
Main Authors: Scheid, Jennifer L, Reed, Jennifer L, West, Sarah L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electrocardiography
FDA approval
Global positioning systems
GPS
Health services
Heart rate
Medical equipment
Medical research
Medical technology
Physical fitness
Sensors
Sinuses
Sleep
Trends
Wearable computers
Wearable technology
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20136230