I want to use my Apple watch to time my patients' vital signs. The face only stays displayed for about 7 seconds. Can I change that?

Do this: Go to settings/general/wake screen/scroll to the bottom and select "Wake for 70 Seconds"

I'm a physician and this works great for me.

I just got off the phone with Apple Support, the first level support was kind and understanding, but she had to bring this to a Senior Advisor.

The only thing I got was to report feedback on https://www.apple.com/feedback/ and maybe they will include it in the 2.0 update.

Then I got the Safety and Regulatory boiler plate from him: https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1712/en_US/Apple_Watch_Info.pdf

Which is dumb, as we usually don't read that, until after we have made the purchase. If we read it at all.

Then I'm told that Apple has been very cautious about moving into the medical field as medical equipment.

Medical equipment?!?!? Seriously?!? It's a watch that we want it to stay on few seconds longer!

Linda

I am glad that bbqdevil's *workaround* will "do the trick" 😉

Did you give the Timer idea a try yet? It seems to me that you are really needing to know when a certain amount of time has elapsed rather than *time how long you have being taking a reading*. Will you always have your hand free to tap the Watch? If so, why would you need the StopWatch going? - just look again at the sweep second hand on the clock.

It still remains that one should be able to set the time elapsed before sleep on a Chronograph w/ sweep second WatchFace though. I have searched and searched, to no avail.

I would suggest Siri, but it seems like many issues with Siri are ongoing and might just add another problem to the mix.

If I were you, I would Call Apple Support. It is sometimes tricky to get that option in the "breadcrumb" process Apple has instituted, but I was able to test the process before suggesting this:

1. Click/Tap > https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action
2. Choose Apple Watch
3. Choose "Setup & Usage..."
   
4. Choose "The topic is not listed"
5. Enter "set sleep duration" > [Continue]
   (I know this in not exactly right, but the point is to be vague)
6. Pick your poison - I would ONLY choose to talk with them on the phone
7. Rehearse an "elevator pitch" statement* for the Specialist that you get AND when you get no satisfaction (likely) ASK FOR A SUPERVISOR
   I have NEVER gotten an answer from a Level 1 Specialist - they are reading from a Knowledge Base not unlike all the resources available to us online
   I have ALWAYS gotten satisfaction from a Senior Specialist (sometimes pretty high up the chain - but always)

Here's a sample "elevator pitch" that I actually sent as Feedback on the Apple Watch User Guide page

I need to change the duration 'before' the Watch goes to sleep while observing the Chronograph Watch Face.

I am a healthcare provider. I need to use my Watch to assist me in taking vital signs. On a normal watch, I would start counting pulses or respirations at a 15 second interval on the Analog Chronograph sweep second hand > stop counting at the next 15 sec. interval > multiply X 4 to get rate/minute.

The Watch goes to sleep after SEVEN (7) seconds !! Therefore I cannot see when 15 seconds has elapsed. I use both hands regularly in the procedure, so touching the Watch is not an option - or 'raise the Watch' to my viewing position.

I, and others in the ASC forum have searched for a Setting for the before sleep duration in vain.

Let us know what you decide.

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Way PAST cool! I must assume that you stumbled upon this, because I never would have found this in Watch documentation - It is however snuggled deep down in this handy dandy document > Apple - Batteries - Maximizing Performance < https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/ >

*found with Google search terms [ wrist raise setting site:support.apple.com ] {above link is the ONLY result}

Tips for Apple Watch [section]

...

There are a few ways you can preserve battery life on your Apple Watch:

• SNIPs
• If you’re very active with your hands and your watch display turns on more than you think it should, you can turn off the Activate on Wrist Raise feature. Open Settings on Apple Watch, select General, and turn Activate on Wrist Raise off. When you want to turn on the display, just tap it.
  SNIP

The LAST sentence indicates that once OFF, it takes an action = tap it = to turn it off again... you report it still goes to sleep after ±20secs? We have a contradiction here don't we? (won't be the first time)

BUT !! it is better that it is as you report, dontcha think?

Also better would be that this info be IN the Watch documentation - especially the Apple Watch User Guide < http://help.apple.com/watch/ >

great and groovy!

now, go tend those babies!

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If you're using the hand with the watch on it to check the pulse, you can use your free hand to tap the "lap" button on the stopwatch every 10-12 seconds, this should keep the face lit for the usual 17-20 seconds after each time you tap, so if you tap every 10-12, you should be able to keep it going for the minute you need.

Obviously, if you're doing a BP reading, you won't have the free hand, so this won't work.

Hopefully that helps a little bit.

You might should read this page...

Important Safety Information

http://help.apple.com/watch/#/apdcf2ff54e9

especially the section...

Medical device interference Apple Watch contains components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields. Apple Watch, some of the bands, the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, and the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Case contain magnets. These electromagnetic fields and magnets may interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators, or other medical devices. Maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and Apple Watch, its bands, the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, and the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Case. ...

best

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You got me started...

There is a thing called "Wrist and Digital Crown Orientation" that governs "Waking" the Watch - in thate section on that subject, it says sleep is invoke by 'lowering your wrist' from the 'looking at the Watch' (clearly paraphrased) - here's the quotation

http://help.apple.com/watch/#/apd748b87e2a

Wake Apple Watch. Just raise your wrist or tap the display. Apple Watch sleeps when you lower your wrist. You can also wake Apple Watch by pressing the Digital Crown—handy if you’re not wearing it.

If Apple Watch doesn’t wake when you raise your wrist, make sure you’ve selected the proper wrist and Digital Crown orientation. Open the Settings app (if you’re looking at the watch face, press the Digital Crown to get to the Home screen, then tap the Settings icon), go to General > Orientation, then make sure Orientation is set to the wrist you wear Apple Watch on. It’s also possible that the battery needs charging.

without testing, I cannot be sure, but this implies that the gyroscope chip is making a record of its reading (?) in the above paragraph.

Maybe simulate your typical wrist position and set? Or is it different a lot?

I still think the Timer idea is gonna be your best and most reliable solution - it simply must alert you when time is up.

zephyr

here's an idea... call Support back. Don't mention your previous call. Don't mention vital signs - thus taking the medical device issue away, but rather tell some story about some other JOB that requires using the Watch for timing a duration where one is counting stuff that requires use of both hands - a traffic study perhaps? (how many cars pass this spot in a minute?) -

Sweep second face, stopwatch, whatever... all "go to sleep" (display) in much less than a minute.

You could say, " I just want to find the setting for display sleep timeout! Please help me! - I KNOW it must exist, I just can't FIND IT ! "

[ it is likely that a tally of Support Cases will carry more weight for future feature development than >> Product Feedback,<< but that is important too. ]

I am familiar with the procedures. Count number of (pulse or respiration) in say 15 seconds > multiply times 4 in your head > write it down. 20 seconds X 3 --- 30 secs X 2 - is that about right?

I am assuming that you have an Watch on your wrist now. Set a typical duration for your measurement in a timer > StartTimer > don't look > what happens when it goes off? Sound? Haptic? Both?

A Timer by definition needs to tell you when the egg is boiled

Cool job 😎 Don't most Hospitals have "dead zones" for cellular? That is accomplished with a "Farraday Cage" stopping the radio signals getting in and out of the shielded area - not a "jammer" targeting the devices - the hospitals may have severely shrunk the areas - ER & ICU areas are what I recall

How about using a timer?

http://help.apple.com/watch/#/apdf448955b2

Add a timer to your watch face. If you use a timer often, add a timer to your watch face.

...[tells how]

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