We’re (mostly) happy to hand wearable tracker data over to doctors in exchange for better care, and it could improve health behaviours, cheaply.
Wearable activity trackers, like smart watches, collect a lot of health data which doctors could use to give better personalised care to their patients. It seems that patients are happy to hand it over, even though many haven’t, according to new global research from the University of South Australia.
“Every day we hear about privacy risks and data breaches, so it’s reasonable to assume that data sharing might raise issues,” said UniSA researcher Dr Ty Ferguson.
“But in reality, the opposite is true – people are overwhelmingly willing to share health data from their smartwatches, as long as it’s with trusted health professionals such as doctors or physiotherapists. This was even more prevalent among people with chronic health conditions.”
The researchers used survey responses from 447 people who wore or had worn wearable trackers (mainly Apple, Garmin and Fitbit). Sixty per cent of the responses were from the US, 27% from Australia and 13% were from 31 other countries. Most respondents had higher education qualifications (76%), 60% were female and 84% were aged under 45.
Most of the respondents said they were of good health or better (92%). However, 66% said they had at least one chronic condition, and 28% said they had multiple chronic conditions.
Almost all – 94% – said they were okay with sharing the data from their trackers with their doctor or other health practitioner. Just under half (47%) said they had already discussed that data with them and 43% had already shared it in clinical settings using apps, verbally or via direct messaging.
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“Traditionally, healthcare providers have relied on self-reported behaviours. However, self-reporting can be inaccurate due to recall and other systemic biases,” the researchers wrote.
“By contrast, WATs provide objective, continuous, real-world data, which can enhance healthcare decision-making. WAT data have also been shown to support lifestyle behaviour change, with evidence demonstrating effectiveness in increasing physical activity and improving clinical outcomes.”
According to Australian Sports Commission data, nearly 30% of Australian adults used a wearable activity tracker in 2022-2023.
“If people are open to sharing this information with their health providers, they could potentially receive health support that is specifically targeted to their own condition and health behaviours,” said research co-author Kimberley Szeto.
Just over a quarter (26%) of patients said they had some concerns, mostly about privacy, but also about data accuracy and a lack of benefit. And while people with chronic illnesses were most likely to share their data, they were also the most worried.
Australians were less likely to have discussed or shared their wearable tracker data than their US counterparts, and more likely to have misgivings about privacy. Those aged 35-44 were more likely to have shared their data than 18-24 year-olds, while the next oldest group (45-54) were more worried about data sharing than younger participants.
“At present, many WAT devices do not meet the stringent data privacy and security requirements of healthcare,” the authors suggested.
“Development of secure WAT data management solutions, such as with encryption or de-identification, may help alleviate privacy concerns and enable secure use of WAT data during clinical encounters. Additionally, appropriate data storage and management by healthcare providers is essential in ensuring privacy concerns are addressed.”
There are also other considerations for clinicians, the authors warned.
“While the positives are clear, challenges remain, from ensuring the reliability and validity of wearable activity data, and costs for data integration, to improving data security, and training for healthcare providers,” Ms Szeto said.
“If people are open to sharing this information with their health providers, they could potentially receive health support that is specifically targeted to their own condition and health behaviours.”
Read the full research paper here.
