The lifestyle changes necessary when you have a heart condition can feel overwhelming, and you may be considering ways to make it easier. Could a wearable device such as a ring or watch help?
The answer is complicated. Our providers at Pinnacle Healthcare System offer some considerations for patients who are curious about whether wearable technology could be a good solution for improving heart health if you’re trying to prevent cardiovascular disease or you have a condition and want to stay as healthy as possible.
Before we discuss how wearable tech might help you improve your heart health, we should note that different types of tech exist, and the types are distinct in how they are used.
Experts divide wearables into three categories: consumer grade, medical grade, and research grade devices.
You’re probably most familiar with consumer grade devices, which includes things like fitness trackers, smart watches, smart rings and other smart jewelry, and other items you can easily purchase at retailers.
Research grade devices are not usually available in the market and are intended to collect information for research studies.
Medical grade devices are things like Holter monitors, which are generally available with a prescription. Our providers use medical grade wearables to monitor our patients in order to learn more about their symptoms.
If you’re thinking about buying a consumer grade wearable to improve your heart health, the following considerations may be helpful.
Simply buying a fitness tracker won’t do much to improve your fitness, and wearing a smartwatch to monitor your heart rate won’t improve your cardiovascular health. Before you make the investment, think about what you want to accomplish.
If your doctor has suggested you increase how much you exercise, a fitness tracker could help you see how many steps you take in a day. If you’re aiming to increase the amount of moderate exercise you do each week, having a device that shows your heart rate could help you hit that target.
You may be taking a walk every day, but not actually increasing your heart rate. A wearable device could help you know how fast you need to walk in order to reach your heart rate target.
You may want to talk to your Pinnacle Healthcare provider as part of your goal assessment, and get input on what healthy goals are for you. They may be able to help you know which data and information is most likely to help you.
Another good reason to discuss your plans to use wearable tech with your provider is so you can understand what information your provider can and can’t use.
Because of privacy regulations and the need to keep your health information secure, the data generated by your wearable can’t become part of your health record. But you can track trends over time and discuss what you’re seeing with us.
Consumer grade wearable technology isn’t designed to provide clinical results. Such devices don’t go through the FDA approval process.
And, as we mentioned earlier, simply wearing a device to track your exercise, heart rate, and blood pressure won’t do a thing to improve your health. Your wearable tech needs to be part of a larger health plan in order to be effective.
If you’d like to learn more about how a wearable device could inform your efforts to improve your health, schedule an appointment at the most convenient location of Pinnacle Healthcare System. Our offices are in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines, Florida. We're happy to answer your questions and make useful suggestions.
