The constant flow of new science in cardiovascular medicine is welcomed for its potential to improve patient care and heart health. At the same time, it's challenging for clinicians to stay up to date, as well as share relevant information with patients – who are increasingly aware of the science – in a way they can understand and then participate in shared decision-making.

The fast-growing arena of direct-to-consumer (D2C) wearables is an excellent example. As wearables become more abundant and affordable, more patients are adopting them to track everything from blood pressure to activity. Meanwhile clinicians are busy trying to determine if and how best to incorporate the patient-generated health care data into practice.

In a recent JACC Scientific Statement examining the promise and perils of D2C wearables, Niraj Varma, MB, ChB, FACC, et al., note the potential benefits of these technologies to widen treatment options and set a foundation for personalized medicine.

However, they also highlight the many challenges associated with the unregulated use of the devices, including "questionable data reliability, potential misinterpretation of information, unintended psychological impacts, and an influx of clinically nonactionable data that may overburden the health care system."

Using atrial fibrillation as an example where D2C wearables could "revolutionize" screening, diagnosis and treatment, Varma and colleagues say "a collaborative effort among a broader set of stakeholders to evaluate and position them in cardiovascular care" is required to move further forward.

What does this mean for patients? D2C wearables can empower them with more control over their health – in partnership with their clinicians – with more continuous, vs. episodic, care, and it can be a part of more personalized care. There's evidence too that these technologies can be effective for prevention and management of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes and sleep disorders.

Ripe for conversations with patients is how best and when to use wearables to support their care and help with better managing and adhering to treatment. It's also important for clinicians to underscore the lack of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for most D2C wearables and not to rely on these technologies to provide the value and expertise of trained medical professionals.

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Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Wearable Electronic Devices, Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory, Precision Medicine, Patient Care

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