A new study suggests that wearable sensor technology could be a feasible way to monitor health-related behaviour in people with complex health conditions.
According to Karen Van Ooteghem, a researcher in kinesiology and health sciences at Waterloo, information from wearables could provide insight into patterns of health-related behaviour and disease symptoms as they occur over days and weeks.
“This may be important for monitoring disease progression and the impact of therapeutics, supplementary to assessments conducted in the clinic,” she said. “Within our research programme, we carry out work to validate novel outcomes derived from wearables for these purposes and develop avenues to relay this information to patients and clinicians.”
Van Ooteghem added it was important for researchers to understand feasibility in participants’ natural environments because behaviour in the lab or clinic may not reflect what occurs in day-to-day living.
The researchers recruited 39 participants with cerebrovascular or neurodegenerative diseases to wear up to five devices on their ankles, wrists, and chest continuously for seven days at home and in the community following a clinic visit.
Participants wore at least three devices for a median of 98 per cent of the study period. They also enrolled with a study partner who could help them navigate any issues that arose during the study.
Beth Godkin, a Waterloo Kinesiology and Health Sciences doctoral student, said the willingness to wear the technology might have been influenced by the support offered to participants during the study.
Through interviews with participants and study partners, the researchers also learned that there is still room for improvement when it comes to the technology itself that could enhance the user experience.
“Participants felt it was important to optimise comfort, ease of use and appearance if they needed to wear sensors for long periods and felt that continued effort should be made to ensure the technology does not interfere with activities of daily living,” Godkin said.
“The generally positive response from participants and willingness to engage in multi-sensor wear over an extended period is the necessary first step towards meaningful integration of our approach in larger research studies and eventually, for uptake within clinical care.”
Source: E&T
