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Apple Watch data is ‘reliable’ for detecting heart disease

CUPERTINO, CA – SEPTEMBER 12: Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple special event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on the Apple Park campus on September 12, 2017 in Cupertino, California. Apple is holding their first special event at the new Apple Park campus where they are expected to unveil a new iPhone. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Apple Watch has been used for many functions today, and it appears to be more of an accessory than others, especially after the recently published study by Stanford University that its data is “trustworthy.” And for reliability, the researchers meant that the data it collects from its carrier and owner could be used in a clinical setting to detect heart disease.

Apple Watch to determine heart problems with data logs

Sometimes a disease can pass a series of tests and controls performed by a doctor or a health professional and can only manifest itself when stress or fatigue is experienced on a daily basis. These physicians are not always in the right place and time to serve, so a machine can be brought home for this screening.

However, it may not be available in most cases and doing so can be difficult. But this problem or nuance would no longer be something to take into account, especially since researchers from Stanford University led by Neil Rens recently published a study entitled “Activity data from wearables as an indicator of functional capacity in patients with cardiovascular diseases” .

This study delves into the importance and effectiveness of an Apple Watch in helping to collect data from a patient. In turn, that data can be used to interpret and determine whether a person has underlying heart disease or an illness that may go unnoticed during a trip or doctor’s visit. The researchers said that the smartwatch data could be “clinically reliable” in detecting any ailment.

Apple Watch: data tested on more than 110 respondents

According to the study, the Apple Watch Series 3 pair and the iPhone were provided to 110 study participants and respondents, in which they used an app called VascTrack to monitor their heart data. The participants were followed for a period of 6 months, where researchers have found that they give positive results and give high percentages.

Even though the Apple Watch is not the latest model from the Cupertino giant (currently the Series 6), the devices still featured 90% sensitivity and 85% specificity in the clinical setting. On the other hand, the smartwatch’s ‘fragility’ measure changed to 83% sensitivity and 60% specificity at home.

The aim of the study is to determine whether modern smartwatches that have features such as health and fitness trackers are effective in a clinical setting where their data can be used for critical evaluation of a patient.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019 also tested the effectiveness of the smartwatch as an atrial fibrillation device and found that it can detect irregular pulses that can sometimes be missed.

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