MedPanel has surveyed 415 U.S. physicians and have found that only 15% of them are discussing wearables or health apps with patients. This figure starkly contrasts with the number of potential candidates: physicians say 38% of patients not using a wearable and 42% of patients not using an app could benefit from doing so.

“As long as tech companies view wearables and apps as consumer-driven markets, these products will remain a fad,” says MedPanel President Jason LaBonte, “But if they engage physicians to recommend these products, wearables and apps will be viewed as part of healthcare and become permanent fixtures.”

Unsurprisingly, the Apple Watch is the device most physicians (82%) are aware of. However, they are most familiar with Fitbit, by a 2 to 1 margin.

MedPanel’s report shows that there’s still plenty of room for improvement or for new competitors. Physicians are on average only mildly satisfied with current products. In fact, the Microsoft Band scores the highest of all wearables for satisfaction on the two attributes physicians say are most important: ease of use and the clinical utility of data the devices generate.

The Apple Watch is the device most physicians (82%) are aware of, though they are most familiar with Fitbit.Marketing professionals can target potential customers by understanding what healthcare providers (HCPs) seek in the apps and wearables they recommend. Physicians say that the ability to integrate mobile health data directly into EHR systems is one of the top product improvements that could convince them to make a recommendation. Companies entering this space should also understand that there are key influencers of adoption beyond the physician, such as payers (e.g. health insurance companies) and practice managers.

MedPanel noted that the most fertile segments within HCPs for marketing opportunities are pharmacists who are two times more likely to discuss apps than wearables with patients, and physicians at ACOs who are more than twice as likely to discuss wearables or apps compared to physicians not part of an ACO.