The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has issued guidance to help clinicians and patients use health data collected while wearing Apple Watch to effectively track and manage cardiovascular health.
"With the rise in people using Apple Watch to be more proactive in their health, guidance and best practices for clinicians and patients is essential to ensure that data is collected accurately and shared effectively," said Ami Bhatt, MD, FACC, ACC's Chief Innovation Officer. "The ACC embraces technologies that encourage patients and clinicians to work together. This tool will guide clinicians on using Apple Watch's heart health regulated features in clinical practice and help clinicians advise their patients on how to incorporate Apple Watch features into longitudinal heart health management."
Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women worldwide and in many cases, it is 100 percent preventable. For many people with established heart disease, it's possible to lead a healthy, active life by establishing a management and treatment plan in collaboration with their clinician, which can include wearable technology to track health.
Several Apple Watch heart health features are regulated and authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults 22 and older, including the electrocardiogram (ECG) feature, which can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor; the Irregular Rhythm Notification (IRN) feature, which analyzes pulse rate data to identify irregular heart rhythms suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib); and the AFib History feature (for users already diagnosed with AFib), which estimates AFib burden by analyzing pulse rate data and offering weekly summaries.
In addition, several wellness features help monitor heart healthy lifestyle, including activity tracking, mindfulness experiences, sleep tracking and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 Max).
Through the Leveraging Apple Watch for Cardiovascular Care tool, clinicians can establish best practices for incorporating Apple Watch data relevant to a patient's care plan, create an implementation plan for collecting and responding to data, and develop processes for working with patients to ensure they are using the watch correctly and seeking care where appropriate. The tool also advises when an Apple Watch should not be used, including clinically indicated rhythm monitoring where immediate alerts to a clinician are needed.
According to the tool, "Apple Watch is best used for general health and wellness, pre-clinical scenarios or in certain clinical situations in which an arrhythmia has already been identified and is being appropriately managed (e.g., assessment of AFib burden). In clinical situations in which real-time notification of data to clinicians and patients is necessary, a continuous ECG monitor is strongly advised."
Patients should also understand that Apple Watch heart health features cannot detect heart attacks.
