Wearable Health Tech Adoption Rises in U.S., Data Sharing with Clinicians Remains Low
The use of wearable health technology among U.S. adults has significantly increased, rising from 30.2% in 2020 to 41.1% in 2024, according to national survey data published in JAMA Network Open. These devices, which include smartwatches, rings, chest straps, and patches, track various health metrics such as heart rate, respiratory and metabolic systems, and sleep patterns. Despite this surge in adoption, only a small fraction of users, between 14.2% and 19.2%, share their collected data with their clinicians. An AMA/Medscape survey indicates that while 77% of U.S. physicians are considering integrating wearable data into clinical workflows, only 6% have actually done so. Nearly a third of physicians receive weekly requests to review patient wearable data, highlighting a growing desire from both patients and clinicians to utilize this information, yet a significant gap exists in its practical integration into healthcare systems.
