According to researchers, the Apple Watch risks overloading medical services

of Apple watchResearchers warn that the abnormal pulse detection feature of is at risk of overwhelming medical services with false-positive results.

In a paper from the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, researchers at the Mayo Clinic, based in the United States, expressed concern that alerts and messages people receive from watches could unnecessarily encourage doctors to see a doctor. Did.

“False-positive screening results can lead to excessive use of medical resources and anxiety among’worried wells’,” the researchers wrote.

They are concerned about a study of 264 people whose doctor’s notes at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, and Iowa included a reference to the Apple Watch and its anomalous pulse detection capabilities. It was. Only 11% of these patients were later diagnosed with cardiovascular problems.

Researchers suggest that these false positives may be related to users misreading clock data. Only 41 of the 264 records explicitly mention receiving Apple Watch “alerts” instructing users to seek medical advice. In other cases, the reference to the alert may be missing because the doctor did not write down the alert or the patient manually accessed the heart rate data in the monitoring app.

However, manually accessed data can actually contain harmless, irregular pulses, Dr. Stephen Kopekki, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and one of the authors of the paper, told The Telegraph. Told. “Most of us have irregular beats all day long,” he said.

Studies also suggested that the feature was used against Issued guidance “People under the age of 22 have not been tested and are not intended for use,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration, which warned in 2018.

“It is also not intended for use by previously diagnosed individuals. [atrial fibrillation].. “

Still, 8.7 pc of patients featured in the Mayo Clinic study were under the age of 22, and 22 pc were already suffering from this condition.

of Apple watch Since the second half of 2018, we have been able to monitor the user’s pulse. However, this month’s launch of the new Apple Watch Series 6 has specifically focused on the capabilities of life-saving products through health monitoring capabilities.

Modern watches feature an abnormal pulse detection tool designed to help the user understand if they are suffering from a condition called “silent” atrial fibrillation. This is one of the most common forms of cardiac arrhythmia, where the heart beats irregularly.

The watch’s optical heart rate sensor is used to detect fluctuations in the heart rate interval when the user is resting. When the algorithm detects an arrhythmia that suggests atrial fibrillation, the user receives an alert.

Six of the 41 study participants who mentioned anomalous pulse alerts were diagnosed. Even in a small survey, it’s unclear why this number is as low as 15pc.

It is thought that this is because atrial fibrillation is difficult to diagnose due to the intermittent appearance of symptoms, and it is thought that no symptoms occur in one-third of the cases.

Dr. Kopecky of the Mayo Clinic also suggested errors such as these “false positives may be due to artifacts” or the watch misunderstanding muscle movements as a person’s pulse.

However, Apple’s Watch may be associated with life-saving treatment. Last year, Paul Hatton, then 48, received many warnings from his watch that his heart rate was too low.Those warnings finally gave him Diagnosed Ventricular bigeminy is a condition in which arrhythmias make it difficult to pump blood effectively.

The British Heart Foundation said the medical community has just begun to understand the advantages and disadvantages of this technology.

“Smartwatches can detect arrhythmias before the wearer shows any noticeable symptoms, but further research is needed to determine how to generate and maximize this data.” A spokeswoman said.

“If used correctly, innovative technologies such as wearable devices may provide resources to help healthcare professionals identify patients at risk.”

False positive concerns highlight future challenges as the emerging “medical technology” sector pushes healthcare into a new era and allows more people to closely monitor their health.

Apple hasn’t responded to requests for comment yet.