Weight, Heart Health Represent a Fraction of Fitness Watches’ Future Possibilities

Wearable technology is advancing far beyond the point of tracking weight and cardiovascular health.

Research by GlobalData’s Clinical Trials Database reveals there are 160 ongoing clinical trials for medical wearables, largely for consumer-centered devices such as smart watches and fitness watches. These trials are investigating the efficacy of these wearables for various solutions, ranging from cancer to women’s health, respiratory diseases, and nutrition. 
 
“We can expect the fitness trackers of the future to include a lot more medical tracking abilities, and not just around weight monitoring and heart health. Some of the more exciting trials we have seen include a pilot study from National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in the U.S., which is developing a wearable device to screen, detect, and monitor symptoms linked to respiratory diseases like COVID-19,” said Tina Deng, MSc, a principal medical devices analyst at GlobalData. “Additionally, Mayo Clinic is evaluating the use of Healthdot in bariatric patients. The wearable health monitoring device from Philips collects multiple health data to allow healthcare professionals to monitor patients’ progress after discharge. We are seeing advancements in numerous other areas, including nervous system diseases, orthopedic diseases, urologic diseases, and hematologic diseases.”
 
Wearable technology is a blanket term for electronic devices that can be worn on the body, either as an accessory like a watch or a pair of glasses, or as part of the material used in clothing such as sportswear that measures biometrics. According to a GlobalData analysis, the wearable technology market was worth nearly $46 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow 17% annually to more than $100 billion by 2027. 
 
“One of the reasons we are seeing such huge growth in wearable tech is because, as well as offering people ways to track their own health, these devices are being used much more often by healthcare businesses,” Deng said. “The recent technological advances have proved that wearable devices offer real value for healthcare—especially when it comes to monitoring and preventing disease. Benefits include early diagnosis, information libraries, and better decision making, as well as reducing healthcare costs.”
 
Historically, heart health was a popular area for consumer wearables. For example, Google-owned device manufacturer Fitbit recently launched its new health-tracking smart watch to detect atrial fibrillation. The new wearable uses a photoplethysmography (PPG) optical heart-rate sensor to collect heart rhythm readings, detect irregularities, and notify the wearer automatically. The result of a clinical trial of 455,000 Fitbit users showed that about one-third of those who received irregular heart rhythm notifications received a confirmed diagnosis with atrial fibrillation (AF). Further, for people diagnosed with AF, the Apple Watch WatchOS 9 added a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared heartbeat tracking tool called AFib History to estimate how frequently a wearer shows signs of the irregular and often extremely rapid heartbeat. 
 
“The data from smart watches and other wearables can be easily downloaded and shared with doctors to support diagnostics and treatment in real time. Therefore, we are beginning to see the move from what a largely recreational use of this technology to something that can make a real impact in disease monitoring. In terms of continued advancements in tracking heart health, GlobalData’s Clinical Trials Database reveals there are 36 clinical trials investigating cardiology indications for wearables,” Deng concluded.