Wearable device users with atrial fibrillation exhibit higher rates of health care utilization and anxiety, with 20% contacting their physicians in response to irregular rhythm notifications, according to recent study.

In the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, investigators examined the effects of wearable devices on health care utilization and psychological well-being among 172 patients with atrial fibrillation. They conducted a retrospective, propensity-matched analysis of survey and electronic health record data, comparing those who used wearable devices with those who did not. The study cohort had a mean age of 72.6 years, with women comprising 42% of the participants. Wearable device users had been using their devices for a median duration of 36 months.

The study cohort included 83 wearable device users, who primarily used Apple Watch (56%) and Fitbit (31%) devices, and 83 matched controls. Wearable device users, who were generally younger and more likely to have an implanted cardiac device, reported greater concern regarding their atrial fibrillation treatment and scored higher on measures of cardiovascular symptom monitoring and preoccupation compared with nonusers.

Further, the patients using wearable devices frequently contacted their physicians following device alerts, resulting in increased health care utilization. Specifically, wearable users demonstrated higher rates of electrocardiograms (ECG), echocardiograms, and atrial fibrillation–related procedures such as ablation (P = .04). Among those using wearable devices, 45% of them conducted daily heart rate or ECG checks, whereas 19% of them utilized heart rate and rhythm monitoring features only when experiencing symptoms. 

The findings revealed that wearable device users had significantly higher rates of atrial fibrillation–specific outpatient visits and diagnostic tests (P = .04), increased utilization of informal health care resources such as patient portal messages and telephone calls (P = .05), and daily heart rate checks and ECG monitoring, often triggered by device alerts. There was no statistically significant differences in the history of anxiety (27.71% vs 28.74%) or depression (21.69% vs 29.89%) between wearable device users and nonusers.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.