Your Apple Watch can take an ECG. Your Fitbit tracks your sleep. But are these data reliable enough for doctors to act on? The Germany telehealth market forecast shows that wearable health technology is the fastest‑growing segment, with a CAGR above 30%. Consumers love the feedback, and doctors are slowly coming around.

What's clinically useful? Heart rate variability (stress), oxygen saturation (lung health), and falls detection (elderly). The Germany telehealth market analysis notes that mobile applications are the largest technology segment, but wearables are catching up — because they're passive, no input required.

But false alarms are a problem. A watch that says atrial fibrillation when it's just an artefact can cause panic and unnecessary testing. That's why the German regulatory body (BfArM) is creating a certification process for medical‑grade wearables.

The takeaway: wearables are great for trends (your sleep is worse on Sundays), not for diagnosis (you have a heart attack). Use them as a tool, not a doctor.