Wearable biosensors may help patients with complex health issues

A new study by the University of Waterloo has found that wearable sensor technology is feasible for remote monitoring of health-related behaviour in people with heart-related conditions.

The research has been published in the 'Journal of Neurology'.

"Information from wearables can 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," said Karen Van Ooteghem, a researcher in Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Waterloo.

"Within our research program, 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," 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 occured in day-to-day living, Van Ooteghem said.

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. For people living with complex health conditions, there were advantages to using multiple sensors to capture specific behaviours and symptoms, for example, upper versus lower limb impairment. 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 and first author on the paper, said that 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, 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 optimize 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," Godkin added.

Funding for the study was provided through the Ontario Brain Institute.

( With inputs from ANI )

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