They’re out there everywhere- the latest high-tech devices that promise you personal and precise information on your own health and well-being. Whether it’s your watch that can now monitor your heart health or a phone app that tells you it can determine if that skin mole is melanoma, consumers are being bombarded with opportunities to find out info that previously required a physician’s involvement. Is this a good thing?

If it sounds too good to be true, your skepticism may be well placed. While wearable devices and phone apps can be inexpensive and easy ways to access important health information, they can just as likely cause unnecessary worry, be expensive and even lack the trustworthiness you need to make important health decisions. The evidence to support many of these direct-to-consumer diagnostic tools is often lacking, and given the burgeoning number of these apps and devices, it seems possible that the promotion of the technology may get ahead of our ability to have faith in the information we receive. There are now suggestions that policymakers, tech inventors and health care providers come together to determine what’s safe and trustworthy for consumers to rely upon. At a minimum, it seems like if you’re going to look to app-generated data to determine your health, you need to be sharing and discussing that data with your health care provider. And this is not to suggest that all tech advances in the healthcare arena are scams. For example, take a look at this promising wearable device that may one day be able to replace other methods of blood pressure monitoring. The bottom line? Technology may be dazzling but don’t let the latest bells and whistles replace your need for sound medical advice.