Since the stethoscope was invented in 1816, it has been an indispensable and reliable medical tool. In today’s digital era, health wearables are beginning to play a similar role, by acting as a modern-day extension of a doctor’s senses.
From fitness trackers that measure sleep and heart rate to medical wearables that continuously monitor glucose, these devices are shifting healthcare toward prevention instead of reactive care. Let’s take a look at how smart health devices can empower patients, what data they collect, and the opportunities (and challenges) they bring to preventive care.
The Rise of Wearables in Preventive Health
Over the past decade, wearable technology in healthcare has matured from a novelty to a necessity. Many wearables started as consumer gadgets for step counting and calorie tracking but have since evolved into smart health devices with life-saving medical applications.
What are examples of smart health devices? The most common include:
Fitness trackers (Fitbit, Garmin, Oura)
Smartwatches with health apps (Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch)
Medical wearables such as continuous glucose monitors (Dexcom, Abbott FreeStyle Libre)
Blood pressure monitors and smart ECG patches (Withings, iRhythm)
Global adoption of smart health devices has skyrocketed. According to market research, from 2024 to 2025 the global smart medical devices market will grow by 12% to a more than 00 billion market size. Over the next decade, mobile-based blood pressure monitoring devices are expected to drive growth as obesity and diabetes become more prevalent around the world.
Hospitals and insurers are beginning to see wearables as valuable preventive tools that help patients manage chronic conditions before they get worse. In effect, wearables are becoming a “first line” of patient monitoring – similar to a digital stethoscope, but one that never leaves the patient’s side.
What Do Wearables Actually Track?
To understand how health wearables support preventive care, it helps to look at the data they collect. Today’s fitness trackers track health data far more advanced than just your number of steps. Wearable devices can now collect data on your:
Heart rate and rhythm: From basic resting heart rate to advanced atrial fibrillation detection.
Sleep quality: Stages of light, deep, and REM sleep, as well as sleep disturbances.
Blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂): This was especially valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Glucose levels: Continuous glucose monitors can alert diabetics to highs and lows in real time. Stress and recovery metrics: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is often used as a stress proxy.
Activity and calories burned: Still key for general fitness but now linked to clinical outcomes as well.
Many smart devices can also provide real-time alerts. For example, an Apple Watch can notify a user of irregular heart rhythms and encourage them to see a doctor.
Wearables can give patients a level of insight into their bodies and condition that was unthinkable a decade ago. During a session on wearables at VivaTech 2025, ŌURA’s Chief Product Officer of Software Holly Shelton explained how her company’s smart ring helps users track their glucose levels on a deeper level:
“In the U.S. we have a partnership with Dexcom where you can wear a continuous glucose monitor and you can start to understand, not only how your food decisions impact your blood sugar, but actually how the rest of your decisions do. If you don’t sleep well, you’re going to have a higher insulin spike most likely. If you move after you eat, your glucose is going to stabilize. So, you start to learn for yourself, and you see in your data how it’s impacting you.”
Because these wearable health devices collect both passive and active body data, medical professionals and patients have a continuous stream of information. This gives patients more control, more treatment choices and better access to preventative care.
From Fitness to the Clinic: Clinical Use of Wearable Data
Can wearables be used for clinical decision-making? Increasingly, the answer is yes.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) – using wearable devices in place of in-person medical visits – was widely adopted. Now studies have found that by detecting complications early, RPM can reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates by up to 83%, saving hospitals and patients time and money. Healthcare providers are also integrating medical wearables into electronic health records (EHRs), allowing doctors to access patient-generated data directly.
More examples of wearables’ clinical use:
Cardiologists using smartwatch ECG readings to detect atrial fibrillation.
Endocrinologists monitoring continuous glucose data to fine-tune insulin therapy.
Sleep specialists using Oura or Fitbit data to screen for potential sleep disorders.
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles giving patients Fitbit devices after knee replacements, hip replacements and other surgeries to encourage walking.
The integration of wearable technology in healthcare is less about replacing doctors and more about giving them additional tools and data to guide their decisions. Instead of relying on annual check-ups, doctors can use wearable data for continuous monitoring and catch health signals before they escalate into major issues.
Challenges, Opportunities, and What’s Next
While the possibilities are exciting, wearables do face real limitations that need to be addressed before they can truly become the “new stethoscopes.” These include:
1. Data Accuracy While clinical-grade medical wearables like glucose monitors are reliable, consumer devices vary in accuracy. For example, step counting is very accurate, but calorie expenditure tends to be less precise. And wrist-based blood oxygen readings can be influenced by skin tone, movement, or placement. Wearables aren’t a perfect substitute for clinical instruments yet, so clinicians have to interpret wearable data cautiously.
2. Privacy Concerns Wearables generate enormous amounts of sensitive health data, and who exactly owns this data – patients, device makers, or healthcare providers – is often unclear. Breaches or misuse are also a significant privacy risk for patients. These ethical dilemmas around healthcare data need to be solved for patients to truly trust the technology.
3. Engagement Drop-Off Initial adoption of medical wearables is high, but long-term engagement is trickier. Studies show that many users abandon their devices within six months. For wearables in preventive care to deliver value, they need to easily integrate into peoples’ daily routines and prove their value to patients.
4. Digital Health Equity Access to wearable devices is unequal. The high cost of devices and their reliance on smartphones can leave out lower-income populations. In order to transform healthcare for everyone, wearables have to become more affordable and accessible.
Looking ahead, the next wave of smart health devices is likely to perform more like medical-grade tools. We’re already seeing wearables for non-invasive blood pressure monitoring such as the Corsano CardioWatch, and the development of “wearable chips” like Xsensio’s Lab-On-Skin sensor platform that can track biochemical data in interstitial fluid (ISF) on skin. The future may bring “invisible wearables” such as sensors that can be embedded in clothing or implanted in our skin.
In many ways, smart health devices are on track to become the new stethoscopes. They allow doctors to observe our bodies, but on a larger scale and without requiring a doctor’s presence. But wearables aren’t a perfect replacement yet. So, while the stethoscope is not going away anytime soon, it is gaining a powerful digital partner in wearables.
To learn more about how wearables and AI are transforming our healthcare, check out this article: How Digital Health Is Revolutionizing Disease Prevention
