Despite the low adoption of using wearable technology in primary care, there have been a number of surveys which have questioned people on whether they would like to share data with healthcare professionals. A 2018 study in Canada, found that about one-third of people share their health date with someone, and of that group one-third has shared that data with a primary care physician [13]. A survey of 2,025 American adults found that 78% of respondents who use a wearable device would choose a doctor who uses data from their wearable device [14]. A Canadian survey carried out in 2016 found that 85% of participants would share data from their wearable if their doctor requested it [15]. These figures are very encouraging when it comes to the future place of wearables in primary care. Sharing health data collected from smart devices with medical professionals is an area that warrants further research. This study aims to further the current understanding of patients’ attitudes towards sharing their data collected from smartwatches.

The surge in the popularity of smartwatches is in part for their ability to track and monitor various health metrics. However, the question of who gets access to these data sets remains a significant concern. Some users may be willing to share their smartwatch data with healthcare professionals in order to receive better care and improve their health outcomes. Many of these individuals may be hesitant to share the same data with private companies for fear of privacy violations. The role of compensation in the sharing of smartwatch data with healthcare professionals as opposed to private companies is a topic that requires further investigation. Previous research has shown that a multitude of factors influence users’ willingness to share data. One main reason is privacy concerns [16], with an increasing awareness and public interest in data privacy, any data transfer which occurs via the internet, which would be necessary when collecting data on a large scale, risks a data breach. This is a significant concern to many people, in particular those who are more familiar with technology – in general, younger adults, which make up a significant proportion of smartwatch users. Another key reason is a mistrust in researchers and institutions [17]. Generally, large corporations often lack the trust of consumers. Trust is essential in order for researchers and analysts from these companies to be given access to data by consumers. Knowledge of what the data would be used for was also identified as a key factor [18], without which many individuals would not be willing to share data. A study found that 90% of people would want to know what their data would be used for before sharing it [19].

In addition, financial incentivization could play a role in data sharing, but is has not been fully explored in the current literature. While there is little research on this exact type of data sharing, there is research on comparable topics. For instance, data sharing with e-merchants, the major consumer concern of privacy is a factor. Notably, an experimental study that tested the role of financial incentives in data sharing found that they do increase data sharing in terms of the actions taken by the participants, however, several participants did not claim to be any more interested in sharing based on the receipt of such incentives [20]. This shows that not all people are actively aware of the factors influencing their own decision to share data. This highlights the need for further research to determine the factors that influence people’s comfort level with sharing health data collected by wearable devices. This study aims to determine how comfortable people would be sharing health data via different technological means, e.g. direct Bluetooth connection, over the internet, and at different levels, e.g. with their own doctor, with the government, with independent bodies.