- You could already use your Fitbit to watch for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), but now you can automatically share that data with professionals.
- A secure API is intended to limit access to only authorized medical providers.
- Users will have to opt in before any of their personal data is shared.
Modern smart wearables are packed to the brim with advanced sensor technologies, so it’s little wonder we’ve seen them start to edge in on the domain of wearable medical devices. While there were some early regulatory hurdles to overcome, eventually we saw the FDA grant clearance for devices like those from Fitbit to use their heart-rate sensors to passively look for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a potentially serious medical condition. Now, Google’s working to make that data even more useful for your doctor and make it easier to share.
You’ve already been able to set up your Fitbit (or Pixel Watch) to monitor for possible AFib, but how the system works and which wearables it’s compatible with can be a little confusing. Only Fitbit models with an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor can do the kind of detailed analysis to accurately differentiate AFib from a normal rhythm. However, taking ECG measurements is a 30-second, manually triggered process and not the sort of thing you can monitor around the clock. Instead, Fitbit relies on irregular heartbeat detection over the long term, to spot possible AFib events. That’s a bit less definitive, but also opens up detection to a much wider range of the company’s hardware.