Yesterday Apple opened up the Apple Heart Study program, which was announced months ago. This program in partnership with Stanford Medical allows your Apple Watch Series 1 or later (sorry original Apple Watch users) to monitor your heart rhythm for irregularities that may indicate that the user experiences atrial fibrillation sometimes called A-fib, a heart condition that affects about 2% to 3% of North Americans and Europeans. If an irregularity occurs you will receive a notification that advises you to get a free consult.
This is certainly no replacement for regular visits to your doctor or for letting your doctor know when you experience something of concern, but the hope is that this will catch some heart conditions that would otherwise go unnoticed until it’s too late.
The program is free and open to Apple Watch users in the USA aged 22 years and older that meet certain conditions outlined within the app. I highly recommend that everyone who is eligible sign up.
You can read about the program from these news sources:
You can download the app on your iPhone here. After registration it may be some time before you are entered into the program.