Apple Watch can accurately assess vulnerability, Stanford study finds

The Apple Watch can accurately determine a user’s ‘vulnerability’, according to the findings of a recently published Stanford University study (via MyHealthyApple

Vulnerability can be determined using a six-minute walk test (6MWT), and the metric is a common standard used to evaluate a patient’s functional mobility and exercise capacity. Higher scores indicate “healthier heart, respiratory, circulatory, and neuromuscular function,” Apple said.

The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University and funded by Apple, gave 110 Veterans Affairs patients with cardiovascular disease an iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 3. Patients performed regular six-minute walking tests at home, which were then compared with their standard in-clinic 6 MWT performance.

The study found that an Apple Watch was able to accurately assess vulnerability with a sensitivity of 90 percent and a specificity of 85 percent under supervision in a clinical setting. When assessed in an unattended home environment, the Apple Watch was able to accurately assess vulnerability with a sensitivity of 83 percent and specificity of 60 percent.

The findings indicate that passive activity data collected by the Apple Watch is an accurate predictor of 6MWT in-clinic performance.

In this longitudinal observational study, passive activity data obtained by an iPhone and Apple Watch was an accurate predictor of 6MWT in-clinic performance. This finding suggests that vulnerability and functional capacity can be remotely monitored and evaluated in patients with cardiovascular disease, allowing for safer and higher resolution monitoring of patients.

While the study used a specially developed app called “VascTrac” to collect 6MWT data in addition to the passively collected activity data from the Apple Watch, Apple has since incorporated a range of new mobility-related health metrics into watchOS 7, including the 6MWT. It’s likely that preliminary data from studies like this one encouraged Apple to add the stats in watchOS 7‌.

The study may prompt healthcare providers to provide a home assessment of the functional capacity of cardiovascular patients using an Apple Watch.