AMA: Structural barriers separate wearables data from clinical care

Physician interest in wearables is high

Most physicians reviewed wearables data at least sometimes, according to survey results. In the U.S., 86% of physicians reviewed wearable data sometimes, compared with 90% in the U.K., 89% in Canada, 87% in Germany, 87% in Spain, and 85% in France.

Most U.S. physicians used wearables to review activity and function metrics (67%), heart physiology (62%), events/alerts (55%) and sleep (54%).

Further, a majority of physicians globally reported a clinical advantage in reviewing wearable data, with 77% of U.S. physicians and 74% of physicians outside the U.S. saying the data can enhance patient care.

However, this review of wearables data appears to be driven by patients. Physicians from all six countries reported that at least weekly, patients asked for guidance on wearables data (23%), asked them to review the data (21%) and scheduled a visit because of the data (16%). Additionally, 15% reported that patients asked them to incorporate wearables data into care.

Still, when patients asked physicians to review and discuss wearable data, physicians typically did so, according to the survey. In the U.S., 32% of physicians reported receiving these patient requests weekly, and 28% complied. This trend was consistent across physicians from all the countries included in the survey; though, the gap between patient request (29%) and physician action (21%) was widest in the U.K.   

Barriers to the integration of wearables data

Though physicians are not resistant to using wearables data in clinical activities, integration of the data remains low across the six countries. The U.S. had the highest rate of integration at 6%, followed by Germany at 5%, Canada at 4%, Spain and the U.K. at 2% and France at 1%.

Germany, Spain and France appear the most likely to integrate wearables data into clinical workflows within the next year, with 40%, 38% and 33% of physicians saying so, respectively. Only 18% of U.S. physicians said that the integration of wearables data into clinical workflows was likely in the next 12 months.

Only four out of the six countries surveyed had payment mechanisms for reviewing wearables data: Canada, France, Germany and the U.S. In the U.S., though there is no dedicated payment pathway, about 10% of physicians use CPT codes for remote patient monitoring using consumer wearables.

Notably, physicians who participated in payment pathways reviewed wearable data more often than those who did not.

Further, concerns about wearables data outweighed interest in all countries except Germany. About 43% of U.S. physicians cited medical-legal barriers as major constraints to integrating wearable data, while 33% cited accuracy concerns. Nearly half (44%) of U.S. physicians said regulatory approval was essential for trust in wearable device accuracy.

"Physicians are confident that wearable data can enhance diagnosis, disease management, and patient engagement, but broader adoption depends on stronger clinical validation, clearer payment and liability frameworks, better tools for interpreting data, and workflows that fit seamlessly into clinical practice," said AMA President Willie Underwood III, M.D., in the press release. "Addressing these challenges will help unlock the full value of wearable technology as a trusted component of modern healthcare."

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.