Amsterdam: At the HLTH Europe 2025 summit, experts warned that the booming wearable health technology industry may create unintended harm through data overload and patient anxiety. With the market projected to hit €120 billion by 2028, wearables are evolving from smartwatches to advanced sensors embedded in fabrics and innovative bras, unlocking vast amounts of real-world health data.
Despite their potential to enhance medical research and improve diagnostics, especially in women’s health, experts say most wearable devices still lack clinical validation and are often poorly integrated into healthcare systems. “We’re not using wearables to their full potential,” said Dr. Michiel Winter, an Amsterdam University Medical Center cardiologist. “They often alarm users unnecessarily, prompting avoidable visits for medically normal findings.”
Devices like sleep trackers offer valuable insights into natural home environments and can help detect conditions like sleep apnea, which often goes undiagnosed in women. However, the flood of data can overwhelm both patients and providers. “People are exhausted by hundreds of irrelevant metrics,” said Dr. Elisabeth Roider of InnoMed Advisors.
Health professionals shared concerns over young, healthy patients becoming anxious over regular readings like low sleep heart rates, taking up time and resources that could be better spent on those in need. Experts also emphasized the “wearable divide”—many high-cost patients and older adults are not using wearables due to cost, accessibility, or digital literacy barriers.
“Without better reimbursement models and smarter algorithms to triage the data, wearables will remain a tool for the privileged,” Winter said. The summit’s key message: while wearable tech holds enormous promise, its real impact hinges on responsible data use, better integration, and equitable access.
