Using a wearable device like a smartwatch should help monitor patients’ health and treat their symptoms as quickly as possible to promote positive health outcomes. But for people with atrial fibrillation, using a wearable device to monitor heart rate and alert users to irregular heartbeats may not be as helpful as it seems.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on July 16, led by Lindsay Roseman, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Cardiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, shows that wearable devices such as smartwatches can significantly increase anxiety and healthcare utilization in patients with atrial fibrillation.
The study included 172 patients from the University of North Carolina Hospital who had previously been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. They completed a questionnaire and had their information linked to electronic health records. About half of the study sample had a wearable device, and their data were compared with individuals who did not have a wearable device.
preoccupation with symptoms
Roseman and her team found that AF patients who used wearable devices were more likely to be preoccupied with their heart symptoms, reported concerns about AF treatment, and used more health care resources than AF patients who did not use these devices.
Healthcare providers and clinics were also affected, with wearable device users being more likely to call a clinic and message healthcare providers than individuals who did not own a device.
Fear and anxiety
1 in 5 atrial fibrillation patients who used wearable devices in this study experienced severe fear and anxiety in response to irregular heartbeat notifications from their device.
A similar proportion (20%) of the study sample routinely called their doctors when their devices showed notifications of abnormal ECG results or possible atrial fibrillation. But it’s unclear whether they actually needed to see a doctor, and it’s also unclear whether reported anxiety contributed to worsening symptoms, which is a well-documented contributing factor in a variety of conditions, including atrial fibrillation.
“Given the significant increase in wearable device use in this patient population and the general population, we believe that future studies and randomized trials are needed to understand the net effects of wearable devices—including their notifications—on patients’ healthcare use and psychological well-being, as well as the subsequent implications for healthcare providers, hospitals, and health systems,” Roseman said, according to EurekAlert.