Wearables Linked to Higher Specific, Informal Health Care Use in A-Fib
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Aug. 13, 2024 -- For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), wearable devices are associated with higher AF-specific health care use and informal health care resource use, according to a study published in the Aug. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Lindsey Rosman, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, propensity-matched study of patients with AF to compare AF-specific health care use and informal health care use between wearable users and nonusers during a nine-month period. Data were included for 172 patients with AF, 83 of whom used a wearable.
The researchers found that wearable users reported higher rates of symptom monitoring and preoccupation than nonusers, and reported more AF treatment concerns. Overall, 20 percent of wearable users experienced anxiety, and in response to notifications of irregular rhythm, they always contacted their doctor. Significantly greater AF-specific health care use was seen among wearable users than nonusers after matching, including significantly higher rates of electrocardiograms, echocardiograms/transesophageal echocardiogram, and ablation. The likelihood of using informal health care resources was also significantly higher for wearable users versus nonusers.
"These findings underscore the need for further investigation into the potential effects of wearable devices on patients' health care use and psychological well-being, as well as the downstream effects on providers, clinic workflow, and health care expenditures," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Fewer Opioids Being Prescribed for Low Back Pain in the Emergency Department
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- From 2016 to 2022, 5.3 percent of all U.S. emergency department visits were related to low back pain, with opioid administration and prescription...
ENDO: AI Model Integrated Into Retina Tracker IDs Diabetic Retinopathy
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- An artificial intelligence (AI) model integrated into a retina tracker for diabetic retinopathy can achieve high accuracy while being resource-efficient...
Dogs Can Differentiate Between People With Parkinson Disease, Controls
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- Dogs can differentiate between dry skin swab samples from people with Parkinson disease (PwP) and controls, according to a study published online July 14...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.