Analysis of the reliability and accuracy of a wearable device: Comparative study with a certified clinical device

The use of wearable devices is becoming more frequent, especially when it comes to monitoring heart rate in physical activity. The use of information from "wearable" devices in the area of "fitness" is a common practice, however, in the context of health and clinical decision making it is not usual to use the information obtained through by such devices. Doubts as to their reliability and accuracy, as well as the lack of scientific information and validation of the algorithms associated with the devices, make it difficult to use them in the health area. Thus, a set of questions is posed: how reliable and accurate is the data obtained from the biometric sensors of those devices? Can any of them be used in a health context? To attempt to answer these questions, a comparative analysis was performed between the data of the sensor using photoplethysmography (intended to evaluate heart rate) provided by one of these devices (Microsoft Band2) and a duly certified clinical device (ECG), whose heart rate assessment is made through the electrical activity of the heart. The results obtained allow us to state that, under certain conditions, the wearable device, in relation to the evaluation of the RR interval and cardiac frequency, provides valid information for use in clinical practice. The next steps will be taken in order to validate other types of sensors provided by that these devices.