Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Aug 8, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Aug 6, 2025 - Oct 1, 2025
Date Accepted: Jan 9, 2026
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Reliability and Safety of Smartwatch Blood Pressure and Oxygen Saturation Measurements in Older Adults: Original paper
ABSTRACT
Background:
Hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and premature mortality, with its prevalence increasing due to population aging and lifestyle factors. Accurate measurement of blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation is crucial for disease prevention and monitoring, and wearable devices have emerged as a promising alternative. However, their clinical reliability requires validation, particularly in older populations
Objective:
The aim of this research is to evaluate and compare the measurement of blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation in elderly people using the Smartwatch in comparison with reference devices.
Methods:
We recruited 50 subjects aged between 50 and 89 years (70.60±12.03 years), including 34 were women and 16 were men. Three blood pressure measurements were taken simultaneously using the Smartwatch and an Ambulatory Blood pressure monitoring (reference device). Arterial oxygen saturation was measured simultaneously using the Smartwatch and the oximeter. The T-test for independent samples was used to compare variables and the intraclass correlation coefficient to verify the correlation.
Results:
Considering the correlation between blood pressure measured by the Smartwatch and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring, the systolic blood pressure variable in the three measurements taken is rated Good (ICC≤0.87 and ICC≥0.90). In the diastolic blood pressure variable, the correlation varies between Good and Excellent (ICC≤0.82 and ICC≥0.91). The independent-sample T-test between the blood pressure samples on the systolic blood pressure variable in the three measurements showed no differences (P=0.64; P=0.74 and P=0.86). In the diastolic blood pressure variable, there was also no significance (P=0.80; P=0.51 and P=0.84). The correlation between the Arterial Oxygen Saturation measured by the Smartwatch and the Oximeter in the Arterial Oxygen Saturation variable was moderate (ICC=0.68). The independent-samples T-test between the Arterial Oxygen Saturation samples showed no differences (P=0.67).
Conclusions:
Our study showed that the Smartwatch is capable of reliably measuring resting blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation in an elderly population.
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