My 82-year-old father recently began wearing a fitness watch. He has always been fitness-conscious and young at heart, and as he has aged, he has found that wearable technology is an effective motivator for staying active. Millions of Americans seem to agree, and about one-third of adults report using some type of wearable device to track health indicators.
Neurologists have been utilizing wearable technology for decades, with options such as teleStroke entering the market in the early 2000s. But the rise of non-FDA-approved consumer devices is changing the conversation. Across the country, we are seeing more patients arrive with concerns shaped by wearable data and heavily influenced by social media, creating a need for neurologists to help patients separate useful health signals from anxiety, false reassurance or self-diagnosis.
The American Academy of Neurology shared new guidance in March on wearables, on the heels of a research report published in the journal Neurology on the topic, which gives neurologists a solid framework for responding when patients bring consumer health data into the clinical conversation. The guidance is not a blanket endorsement of every device, nor does it suggest that wearables should replace medical evaluation. But it does recognize that in neurology, where symptoms can be episodic, difficult to capture and deeply tied to patterns over time, these tools may have a meaningful role to play in prevention, monitoring and more personalized care.
How can wearable data support neurological care?
Neurology is especially well-suited for wearable technology because many neurological concerns are tied to patterns that occur outside clinical visits. Wearables do not replace an exam, imaging or clinical judgment, but they can provide additional context.
Stroke prevention is one example where wearable data can be particularly helpful. Smartwatches and portable ECG devices may help detect possible arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, a common stroke risk factor that can go unnoticed. For patients whose hypertension elevates their stroke risk, wearable or connected blood pressure monitors can help track whether blood pressure is staying within a safe range and signal when it may be time to follow up with a physician.
Other wearable data may also be useful, depending on the patient. Sleep, energy and activity tracking can help reveal changes that are difficult to reconstruct from memory during an appointment. For patients with headaches, seizures, sleep concerns or chronic neurological conditions, those patterns may help inform a more complete discussion about symptoms and triggers.
Of course, too much data can become overwhelming. If a patient is following every data point so closely that the device becomes a source of anxiety, it can do more harm than good. Telemedicine can help bridge that gap. Virtual visits give clinicians a practical way to review wearable alerts, talk through symptoms and determine whether the information is reassuring, worth monitoring or serious enough to escalate.
Wearables are helpful, but they are not a diagnosis
A note of caution for both patients and providers: A smartwatch alert, sleep score or activity trend may point to something worth discussing, but it is not the same as a neurological exam with full medical history, diagnostic testing and physician interpretation.
This distinction is especially important in neurology because symptoms can be difficult to interpret. A device may capture a change in heart rhythm, sleep, activity or energy, but it cannot determine the underlying cause. That is the role of the clinician.
The future of wearables in neurological care
Wearable technology is still in an early stage, but its significance is growing. Oura, the company behind the popular wearable Oura Ring, filed for an IPO in late May. Its role in neurological care is likely to grow quickly, too, as devices become more accurate, disease-specific and connected to clinical workflows.
For epilepsy, that may look like stronger seizure tracking, better trigger identification and more personalized forecasting. For headache and sleep-related concerns, it may mean clearer insight into patterns that are difficult to capture in a 15-minute office visit.
As the evidence and use cases for this type of data grow, wearables could give neurologists a more complete view of patients and help them participate more actively in their own care. With better-timed, better-contextualized data that can support earlier intervention, providers can recommend more personalized treatment.
For health systems, the takeaway is that although wearables still have limitations, they are advancing quickly. The AAN guidance is a clear catalyst for where neurological care is headed, giving providers a framework for using wearable data without overstating what it can do today. The health systems that win will be the ones that use this moment to prepare, building the confidence and workflows to use that data responsibly.
After all, by the time I am 82, the devices patients use will be far more accurate and deeply integrated into neurological care than the fitness watch my father wears today.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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