Smartwatches now certified medically as health devices

The Centre is granting medical certifications to devices that alert users to health issues

- Shouvik Das

Smartwatches are getting smarter—at least, health-wise. These devices, so far largely considered lifestyle accessories with basic fitness-tracking features mostly shunned by medical practitioners, are increasingly receiving medical certifications from the Centre—making them health devices that alert users against issues such as heart rate fluctuations, sleep disorders and blood pressure anomalies.

On 4 December, Apple launched hypertension tracking on its latest Apple Watch Series 11 smartwatch. While the feature does not give a direct blood pressure readout, it monitors a user's blood oxygen, stress levels, and other heart-related parameters to notify them that they may have a potential hypertension issue.

The company received government approval to offer this clinical-grade feature in late November, a person aware of the development told Mint, making it only the second consumer-grade smartwatch until now to be approved by New Delhi.

Hypertension implies high blood pressure, a condition that potentially damages heart tissues in the long run. Almost one-third of all Indians suffer from it, according to the National Institutes of Health's latest statistics.