Volume 29, Issue 163, September 2025

Wearable Devices for Arrhythmia Detection: Clinical Utility, Limitations, Ethical Considerations and Future Directions

Maciej Janowski^1♦, Marta Górska¹, Paweł Czyż², Jakub Górski³, Antonina Strzałkowska¹

¹Central Teaching Hospital of Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
²Szpital Miejski im. Św. Wincentego a Paulo w Gdyni, ul.Wójta Radtkego 18 Gdynia, Poland
³Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Maciej Janowski, Central Teaching Hospital of Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland

ABSTRACT

The new era of wearable devices has brought us the potential, though limited, to monitor our health. The main purpose of cardiovascular monitoring is the detection of AF (atrial fibrillation). Modern wearables can not only detect but also send realtime alerts to users, often before they can feel the arrhythmia. The quick adoption of these tools into daily life, though, has also opened up many discussions—technical, medical, and ethical (sometimes all tangled together). Many wearables remain outside the official validation of regulatory bodies, and their accuracy shifts depending on the group being tested (older patients or those with multiple conditions tend to experience more variability). Collecting highly sensitive cardiac data also introduces another layer of concern, especially when companies control the information (users often accept lengthy agreements without reading them at all). Smartwatch notifications regularly push people to book a consultation, even if the trigger was something minor or harmless. Healthcare providers may find opportunities in this trend—for example, by spotting disease earlier—but at the same time the system risks becoming overloaded by the extra number of visits. These devices are not yet capable of replacing traditional diagnostics, such as the 12-lead ECG, but they are reshaping the way patients engage with their health. Wearables merge consumer gadgets with clinical tools, making careful evaluation, regulation, and evidence-based integration essential to help patients benefit safely (minimizing potential harm).

Keywords: Monitoring heart health with wearables, Early detection of atrial fibrillation (AF), Safeguarding data privacy and ethics, Incorporating digital health into clinical practice

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e155ms3699

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i163.e155ms3699

Published: 05 September 2025