Mandatory Prescriptions: Why Smartwatches Are The New Medical Standard

Mandatory Prescriptions: Why Smartwatches Are The New Medical Standard

In February 2026, international health organizations and researchers issued official recommendations to provide Apple Watches and similar products to heart patients as part of their standard treatment protocols, a move reflecting a fundamental shift in how wearable technology is perceived. These devices are no longer mere "tech accessories" for tech enthusiasts, but have transformed into sophisticated mobile laboratories capable of predicting health crises hours or even days in advance. The vast amounts of data these watches collect—including heart rate, rhythm, and variability, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature, and sleep and activity patterns—have become the cornerstone of what is known as "proactive medicine," where the goal is not to treat illness after it occurs, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. The transformation is immense: a device weighing less than 50 grams collects the equivalent of 200,000 health data points daily, which are anal…