The latest version of Apple’s smartwatch (Apple Watch Series 6), a leading company in the technology sector, includes in its health monitoring capabilities the measurement of blood oxygen saturation. In addition to health promotion, these devices are also being tested to identify and diagnose medical conditions, including detection of falls 6, mental status 7, heart disease 8, neurological diseases 9 and others. Other authors have also studied the advantages and limitations of wearable’s to prevent childhood obesity 4 and weight loss 5. showed that sending reminders to users on these devices stimulating physical activity was able to change daily habits in students 3. The presence of all these data for the patient has already proved to be extremely effective as a way of promoting health. Most of these devices were initially limited to collecting daily step data, but the great advances in technology have allowed other information to be collected effortlessly by users, including standing hours, movement, time and type of physical exercise, sleep tracking, heartbeat and, more recently, oxygen saturation. In 2020, approximately 19% of Americans already used some wearable device 2. In this model, it is proposed that patients and health professionals are connected and sharing data, in order to improve care 1.
The term refers to the concept of using multiple resources, including wireless, digital, electronic, mobile, and telemedicine, for the benefit of patient's health. In recent years, the Connected Health Model has gained great visibility. Apple Watch 6 is a reliable way to obtain heart rate and SpO 2 in patients with lung diseases in a controlled environment. We observed strong positive correlations between the Apple Watch device and commercial oximeters when evaluating heart rate measurements (r = 0.995, p 0.05). The Bland–Altman method and interclass correlation coefficient were used to compare their values. SpO 2 and heart rate data were collected with an Apple Watch Series 6 (Apple) and compared to two commercial pulse oximeters. This is a cross-section study with 100 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial lung disease from an outpatient pneumology clinic. This study aims to assess whether wearable devices can provide precise SpO 2 measurements when compared to commercial pulse oximeters.
Pulse oximeters are the most common way to assess oxygen levels and guide medical treatment. Hypoxemic patients are advised to use oxygen therapy to prolong their survival, but high oxygen saturation (SpO 2) levels can also have negative effects. Lung diseases have high mortality and morbidity, with an important impact on quality of life.