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Advances in technology have made it increasingly easier for people to self-monitor their heart health whether it's via a smart device on their wrist or finger or a blood pressure monitor. However, a new national survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that while many Americans use a device to monitor their heart, few share that data with their doctor. The survey of 1,008 Americans found nearly two-thirds use a device on a regular basis to monitor their heart health with the most popular being a smartwatch (32%), portable blood pressure machine (31%), fitness app (19%) and wearable fitness/movement tracker (13%).
Of those who use a device, only 1 in 4 use that data to prompt a conversation about their heart health with their doctor. These self-monitoring devices are really helpful to patients and their healthcare providers because they can potentially catch things early. For example, if patients are monitoring their blood pressure at home and notice it's been going up over time, they may want to discuss it with their doctor sooner rather than waiting for their annual visit.
Or they may capture some irregular heart rhythms on their devices, like atrial fibrillation, much sooner than would be diagnosed at the doctor's office." Laxmi Mehta, MD, Director, Preventative Cardiology and Women's Cardiovascular Health, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Mehta is also the Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Chair for Women's Cardiovascular Health Research. Mehta said patients have increasingly been asking her about the pros and cons of self-monitoring health devices.
One of those patients is Sue VanWassenhove, 78, of Upper Arlington, whose children got her a smartwatch to track her health after she fell a couple of times. VanWassenhove has sleep apnea, which affects her heart rate and breathing, and she keeps a close eye on what the device is capturing. When her smartwatch showed a pattern of her heart rate dropping, she set up an appointment with Mehta.
"A normal heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute without exercise. Heart rates can vary due to heart conditions or a variety of non-heart related reasons such as infection, dehydration, anxiety or thyroid disorders. When someone's heart rate or rhythm seems different than usual, it's best for them to speak with their doctor," Mehta said.
Related Stories AstraZeneca's Pioneering Research in Heart Failure and ATTR-CM New AI model helps choose doctors based on diagnoses and decision-making AI deciphers intracellular signals from extracellular recordings in heart cells When it comes to exercise, the maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting a person's age from 220. With moderate intensity exercise, the goal is to hit 50-75% of that number and 70-85% for vigorous exercise, Mehta said. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week for maintaining a healthy heart.
During an appointment with Mehta, VanWassenhove learned her smartwatch could do an EKG, which records the electrical signals in the heart, and she could send the results to Mehta through her electronic medical chart. "Having a smartwatch is very empowering because I'm not being passive with my healthcare. I have some heart issues that need monitored, and it's important for me to talk to my cardiologist or primary care doctor about any health issues that show up on my watch," VanWassenhove said.
Survey methodology This study was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from Dec.
16 – Dec. 18, 2024, among a sample of 1,008 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=978) and telephone (n=30) and administered in English.
The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.
S. adults ages 18 or older. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
