For Healthcare Providers

As access to rich health data through consumer wearables becomes commonplace, your patients may ask for help understanding the data from their Fitbit devices. You may also want to learn about how wearables can allow your patients to better track their health.
Our team of physicians with expertise in cardiology, sleep medicine, neurology and sports medicine created this resource to help you learn about key Fitbit device features and metrics to help you better serve your patients.
This page outlines wellness features as well as the indications of use of regulated features (FDA approved) particularly as it pertains to heart health in the United States. If you are outside the US, please see here for Global user manuals or contact us for more information. It is not meant to be exhaustive but rather a quick resource to give you more context.
Heart Rhythm FEATURES
These features are clinically validated and cleared for use by notified bodies in select countries.
ECG for Heart Rhythm Assessment
What is it?
A user can acquire a 30-second single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and get a heart rhythm assessment of Sinus Rhythm, Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), or Inconclusive based on a FDA-cleared software algorithm (sensitivity 98.7%, specificity 100%).
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Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications
What is it?
The Fitbit Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications (IHRNs) feature analyzes pulse rate data during inactivity and sends a notification to the user when it detects signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib) with a of 98% positive predictive value when in a clinical trial of over 450,000 participants. Read the Fitbit Heart Study publication from the American Heart Association .
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Wellness FEATURES
These features are not intended to inform the diagnosis or treatment of a disease.
Low and High Rate Notifications
What is it?
A low or high heart rate (HR) notification is triggered when the Fitbit wearable detects a HR outside the low or high thresholds and the user appears to be inactive for 10 minutes. The HR thresholds are initially based on age and resting heart rate, but the user can customize the thresholds. Users receive a notification with the estimated HR and when it occurred, plus they can log any potential factors or symptoms.
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Oxygen Saturation: Nighttime SpO2
What is it?
The Nighttime SpO2 feature is a single point estimate of the average blood oxygen saturation across an entire session of sleep. It is derived from optical sensors shining red and infrared light on the wrist and measuring the ratio of the reflected light.
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Active Zone Minutes
What is it?
Active Zone Minutes (AZMs) allow a user to track moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and may help them reach the American Heart Association (and others’) guidelines for physical activity (150-300 minutes of moderate physical activity, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity, per week).
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Sleep Duration
What is it?

Sleep duration is the estimated amount of time an individual spent sleeping in their main sleep period. By tracking their daily sleep duration, individuals can determine if they’re allowing for at least 7 hours of sleep as recommended for adults by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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Sleep Consistency
What is it?

The times when a Fitbit user starts and ends their main sleep period can be tracked over time to determine if there is consistency or variability in their sleep schedule. By tracking their sleep patterns from day to day, users can focus on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s recommendation to allow adequate opportunity to get enough sleep on a regular basis.