Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32047863›Full record

ArticleNPJ digital medicine2020

Investigating sources of inaccuracy in wearable optical heart rate sensors.

Brinnae Bent, Benjamin A Goldstein, Warren A Kibbe, Jessilyn P Dunn

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in NPJ digital medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 315 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
315citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05106725 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Study of Clinical Biomarkers in Human Health and Disease (Healthiomics)

TypeobservationalSponsorCureScienceRan2021 to 2025Enrolled3,500ConditionsBrain Cancer, Neurological Disorder, Neurological Cancer
NCT07733375 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Comparative Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Levothyroxine Replacement Therapy After Total Thyroidectomy Using Smart Wristband-Measured Nocturnal Heart Rate and Heart Rhythm Parameters Versus Thyroid Function Tests

TypeobservationalSponsorYeditepe University HospitalRan2026 to 2027Enrolled40ConditionsTotal Thyroidectomy, Hyperthyroidism, HypothyroidismArmsXiomi Smart Band 10
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

315 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Use of Wearable Sensors in Angelman Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2026
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255 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Brinnae Bent1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC USA.
Benjamin A Goldstein2Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Duke University, Durham, NC USA.
Warren A Kibbe2Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Duke University, Durham, NC USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5622-7659
Jessilyn P Dunn1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3241-8183

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As wearable technologies are being increasingly used for clinical research and healthcare, it is critical to understand their accuracy and determine how measurement errors may affect research conclusions and impact healthcare decision-making. Accuracy of wearable technologies has been a hotly debated topic in both the research and popular science literature. Currently, wearable technology companies are responsible for assessing and reporting the accuracy of their products, but little information about the evaluation method is made publicly available. Heart rate measurements from wearables are derived from photoplethysmography (PPG), an optical method for measuring changes in blood volume under the skin. Potential inaccuracies in PPG stem from three major areas, includes (1) diverse skin types, (2) motion artifacts, and (3) signal crossover. To date, no study has systematically explored the accuracy of wearables across the full range of skin tones. Here, we explored heart rate and PPG data from consumer- and research-grade wearables under multiple circumstances to test whether and to what extent these inaccuracies exist. We saw no statistically significant difference in accuracy across skin tones, but we saw significant differences between devices, and between activity types, notably, that absolute error during activity was, on average, 30% higher than during rest. Our conclusions indicate that different wearables are all reasonably accurate at resting and prolonged elevated heart rate, but that differences exist between devices in responding to changes in activity. This has implications for researchers, clinicians, and consumers in drawing study conclusions, combining study results, and making health-related decisions using these devices.

Indexed as

Biomedical engineeringImaging and sensingTechnology

Identifiers

PMID32047863
PMCPMC7010823

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.