Smartwatch-supported home cardiac rehabilitation improved adherence scores in a small trial
A supervised smartwatch program helped people with coronary heart disease follow home rehabilitation more closely, although the abstract does not quantify the size of the improvement.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Participants receiving the smartwatch-supported program had higher exercise-adherence scores than those receiving standard home rehabilitation. The program also included feedback, remote supervision and education, so the result concerns that full package. It does not establish that wearing a smartwatch alone changes rehabilitation behavior or that the program prevents future heart attacks.
This small, unblinded trial was conducted at a single hospital. The abstract provides statistical significance but no size estimates for adherence or other improvements, limiting assessment of their practical importance.
What researchers found
Home rehabilitation exercise adherence
Smartwatch-supported versus standard home rehabilitation at 3 months, measured with the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Adherence Scale.
More than activity tracking
The smartwatch program combined monitoring of physical activity with real-time feedback, remote supervision and educational material. The comparison therefore tested a supported rehabilitation service delivered through a device, rather than the device as an isolated intervention.
Other measured outcomes
The smartwatch group also improved peak oxygen uptake during exercise testing, anxiety, depression and selected quality-of-life domains. No serious intervention-related adverse events were reported, but the abstract does not establish longer-term safety or cardiovascular outcomes.
The original publication
Effectiveness of Smartwatch Device on Adherence to Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Zhang S, Wang Y, Wu J et al.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40966536
- Record checked
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