Key Findings
- 1How wearable health data can transform preventive care — and the product challenges that stand in the way.
Overview
Consumer wearables — smartwatches, fitness trackers, continuous glucose monitors — generate more health data per day than a typical doctor's visit generates per year. The opportunity to use this data for preventive care is enormous. The challenges are equally significant.
"Continuous heart rate monitoring has detected atrial fibrillation in users who had no symptoms, enabling treatment before stroke occurs."
South Africa's doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:1,200 — telehealth could effectively triple specialist access.
Digital health infrastructure is no longer optional — it's the only path to equitable healthcare delivery.
The Data Landscape
A modern smartwatch tracks: heart rate (continuous), blood oxygen, sleep stages, activity levels, stress indicators, and increasingly, ECG and blood pressure. Over a month, this generates a richer cardiovascular profile than most annual check-ups.
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