Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02697214

Accuracy of Commercially Available Heart Rate Monitors

Over the last two decades, there has been a proliferation of commercially available heart rate monitors. Recognizing that elite athletes often use heart rate to monitor training and assess aerobic fitness, fitness companies have offered a variety of heart rate monitoring systems to the general public. Recently, there has been a move from monitors that rely on chest straps to measure electrical activity toward more convenient, wrist-worn monitors that employ optical sensing technology similar to that used for pulse oximetry. While the accuracy of chest strap monitors has been assessed in a variety of studies, there is no data concerning the accuracy of wrist-worn heart rate monitors. Assessment of the monitors' accuracy is important both for the subjects who rely upon these monitors to guide their athletic activity and for the physicians to whom these individuals report their heart rate readings.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Physicians have long-used heart rate as an index of aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health. Resting heart rate has been linked to longevity and freedom from cardiovascular morbidity, and heart rate during exercise serves as a measure of aerobic capacity. In addition, heart rate recovery after exercise carries implications for an individuals' health.

Like physicians, coaches and athletic trainers employ heart rate measurement on a daily basis. In the athletic setting, heart rate during exercise is used as an indication of aerobic exertion. Elite athletes and their coaches often design workouts based upon achieved and targeted heart rates.

Once the province of physicians and elite athletes, heart rate monitoring has become widespread among the general public. In the nineteen eighties, fitness companies added heart rate monitors to their product lines. Systems employing a chest strap to monitor electrical activity, telemetry and a wrist-borne receiver became popular, and several controlled, scientific studies confirmed their accuracy.

More recently, manufacturers have marketed a new class of heart rate monitors that consist solely of wristwatch-style devices. These heart rate monitors use optical sensing technology to measure heart rate. While they offer convenience, their accuracy, particularly during exercise, is uncertain. A recent article in USA Today suggests that these wrist-worn monitors fail to provide accurate readings during exercise; however, to date there has been no rigorous scientific inquiry addressing this question.

The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy of four popular, commercially available wrist-worn heart rate monitors under conditions of varying physical exertion.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age > 18 years
  • Able and willing to exercise (walk/jog) for a total of fifteen minutes

Exclusion criteria

  • Health issues that preclude or contraindicate walking and/or jogging, including cardiovascular, orthopedic, pulmonary and other conditions
  • Presence of a cardiac pacemaker
  • Known cardiovascular disease
  • Known heart rhythm disorders
  • Use of Beta-blockers or antiarrhythmic medications
  • Tattoos around the wrist area

Treatment and study plan

Fitbit Charge HR

Device

Fitbit Charge HR heart rate monitoring device compared to ECG and Polar H7

Apple Watch

Device

Apple Watch heart rate monitoring device compared to ECG and Polar H7

Mio Fuse

Device

Mio Fuse heart rate monitoring device compared to ECG and Polar H7

Basis Peak

Device

Basis Peak heart rate monitoring device compared to ECG and Polar H7

Primary outcomes

  1. Measuring the Accuracy of Commercial Heart Rate Monitors.

    Time frame: 20 minutes

    The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy of four popular, commercially available wrist-worn heart rate monitors compared to the current gold standard of a ECG using Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The Cleveland Clinic

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Accuracy of Commercially Available Heart Rate Monitors: A Prospective Study

Acronym: HRM

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Mar 3, 2016
Registry last updated
Feb 11, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.