As the global market for wearable health tracking devices continues to surge, experts at HLTH Europe 2025 have raised concerns about the risks of information overload and rising patient anxiety driven by constant health data monitoring.
The wearable technology industry, projected to reach €120 billion by 2028, has rapidly expanded from smartwatches and rings to more advanced tools like smart bras and nano-thin fabrics. These devices have unlocked vast amounts of real-world health data, offering new opportunities for medical research and personalized care, particularly in women’s health.
However, experts warn that the integration of wearable data into clinical practice is still limited. Many consumer devices lack clinical validation, and there are growing concerns about equitable access, data security, and the psychological toll of constant monitoring.
“Companies do their best to leverage the data, but we are not using wearables to their full potential,” said Dr. Michiel Winter, a cardiologist at Amsterdam University Medical Center. “Often, these devices unnecessarily alarm users, leading to avoidable doctor visits for issues that are medically normal.”
Wearables Offer New Clinical Insights
Wearables can collect continuous health data in real-life settings, addressing key limitations of traditional clinical studies. This is particularly transformative for sleep research, according to Ines Ramos Barreiras, EMEA Regional Medical Advisor at Bayer.
“When people come to sleep labs, they don’t sleep as naturally as they do at home,” Barreiras said. Wearables can capture large, long-term datasets that help identify underdiagnosed conditions like sleep apnea, especially in women, whose symptoms are often overlooked.
Jennifer Kanady, PhD, Director of Sleep Health Technology at Samsung Electronics America, emphasized that wearables are closing diagnostic gaps. “Sleep apnea is not just a man’s disease. It’s prevalent in women too, but their symptoms often look different and can be missed by traditional diagnostics.”
Overwhelming Data and Anxiety
Despite their potential, current healthcare systems struggle to manage the flood of wearable data. “Most of these devices are made for consumers, not patients, and those are two very different groups,” Winter explained. Without intelligent algorithms and triage systems to filter out irrelevant data, the information becomes overwhelming.
Dr. Elisabeth Roider, co-founder of InnoMed Advisors, warned of "data overload" from excessive metrics. “People are getting exhausted by the hundreds, sometimes thousands of markers they’re expected to monitor—most of which aren’t clinically meaningful.”
This overload can contribute to health anxiety and unnecessary clinical consultations. “We see young, athletic patients worried about a low heart rate flagged during sleep, which is perfectly normal,” Winter said. “They’re taking appointment slots from patients who genuinely need care.”
Access, Equity, and the Wearable Divide
Alyssa Jaffee, partner at 7wire Ventures, highlighted that many of the highest-cost patients in the U.S. healthcare system aren’t using wearables at all. The gap is even wider for elderly individuals, people from lower-income groups, and non-native language speakers, who face significant barriers in adopting these technologies.
“Without proper financial models and reimbursement strategies, wearables will remain accessible to only a privileged few,” Winter cautioned.
The consensus at HLTH Europe 2025 was clear: while wearables hold immense promise, their future impact depends on smarter data management, equitable access, and reducing the unintended harm of over-monitoring.
