Key takeaways:
- Physician interest in wearable medical technologies is high.
- Reimbursement and trust remain barriers to uptake of wearable technologies in medicine.
Despite strong physician enthusiasm, reimbursement and workflow issues have stifled uptake of wearable medical technologies, according to results of a recent survey conducted by the AMA.
The AMA’s Center for Digital Health and AI, along with Medscape, conducted the 2026 International Physician Survey on Consumer Wearables. Responses from 2,222 physicians in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom provided information on patient-generated wearable data, trust in the quality of the data gathered by these devices, reimbursement, workflow challenges, and factors influencing adoption, according to the report.
“The biggest takeaway is that physician interest is not the problem,” AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, told Healio. “Across all six countries, most physicians reported reviewing wearable data in some capacity and recognized its clinical value, but widespread integration remains limited by structural barriers like workflow, reimbursement and confidence in the data.”
Topline results showed that 97% of physicians have reviewed at least one of the wearable data types included in the survey. Most respondents suggested that smartwatches, fitness trackers and biosensors all could provide valuable information that could directly impact, if not improve, clinical care. In all, 77% of U.S. physicians, and 74% of physicians outside the U.S., reported at least some clinical advantage for patient care, according to the findings.
Meanwhile, 82% of physicians reported personal use of wearable technology, including 72% who used smartwatches, 44% who used , and 10% who used smart rings. Only 18% reported that they do not use wearables at all, according to the report.
However, despite this apparent enthusiasm, no country reported a wearable data integration rate greater than 6%. Differences in adoption of wearable data were associated with reimbursement, workflow feasibility and regulatory concerns, according to the findings.
In addition, approximately one-quarter of physicians reported that patients requested review of wearable data on a weekly basis.
Physicians who incorporated wearable technologies into their workflow regularly reported greater confidence in interpreting the data and trust in the accuracy of the information provided. Conversely, those who failed to integrate these technologies reported concerns about liability, reliability of the information and workflow burden.
Cardiologists and endocrinologists were most likely to incorporate wearable data into their practice. Primary care physicians, neurologists and pulmonologists reported challenges to uptake.
Healio sat down with Whyte to discuss the importance of wearable tech in medicine and what the organization learned from the findings.
Healio: Why did you decide to study uptake and use of wearable technologies? Why was this an important area for the AMA to study?
Whyte: We have moved well beyond fitness trackers and step counters. As more patients bring data from wearables into clinical care, we wanted to understand how physicians are responding, both across specialties and across health care systems around the world.
The goal was to identify what turns interest in wearable data into meaningful clinical integration, and what is standing in the way.
Healio: What did you learn about physician use and enthusiasm for wearable tech?
Whyte: The biggest takeaway is that physician interest is not the problem. Across all six countries, most physicians reported reviewing wearable data in some capacity and recognized its clinical value, but widespread integration remains limited by structural barriers like workflow, reimbursement, and confidence in the data.
In the United States, 86% of physicians said they review information from their patients’ wearables at least sometimes, but just 6% said that data is integrated into their clinical workflow. The interest from physicians is there. The health care system is still catching up.
Healio: The results show structural barriers to more widespread uptake of wearable tech. What are some of those barriers?
Whyte: Physicians need confidence that wearable data are accurate and clinically meaningful, workflows that fit naturally into routine practice and reimbursement models that recognize the time required to review patient-generated data. Addressing those structural barriers is essential to moving wearable data from occasional use to routine clinical care.
Healio: The data also reflect a lack of trust in the accuracy of the data collected. How can trust in the data from wearable tech be improved?
Whyte: Trust is built through evidence. Regulatory review is important, but physicians also want strong clinical validation through randomized trials, real-world outcomes, and specialty guidance that demonstrates wearable data can improve patient care.
Clear expectations around liability also help physicians feel more confident using these data.
Healio: What can health systems do to improve the uptake of wearable tech?
Whyte: Health systems can make wearable data easier to use by designing workflows that integrate it naturally into clinical care rather than creating additional work for physicians. Better EHR integration, patient education about when wearable data are clinically relevant, and tools that help physicians interpret the information can all help accelerate appropriate adoption.
Healio: What is the AMA doing to improve uptake and use of wearable tech?
Whyte: The AMA is helping identify the barriers and opportunities for integrating wearable data into clinical care. We hope this research informs coordinated efforts among health systems, policymakers, technology developers, specialty societies, and physicians to strengthen clinical evidence, improve workflow integration, clarify liability, and develop payment pathways that support the responsible use of patient-generated wearable data.
For more information:
John Whyte, MD, MPH, can be reached at Jennifer.Sellers@ama-assn.org.
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Healio Interview
Reference:
Disclosures:
Whyte reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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