Wearable biosensors can help people with complex health conditions


Date:
December 20, 2021
Source:
University of Waterloo
Summary:
Remote monitoring of health-related behavior with wearable sensor
technology is feasible for people with complex health conditions,
shows a recent study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Remote monitoring of health-related behaviour with wearable sensor
technology is feasible for people with complex health conditions, shows
a recent University of Waterloo study.


========================================================================== "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." 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,
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 communityfollowing a clinic visit. For people living with complex health conditions, there are 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 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."
The study, Feasibility of a continuous, multi-sensor remote health
monitoring approach in persons living with neurodegenerative disease, co-authored by Godkin, Van Ooteghem and others at Waterloo, alongside
other investigators within the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative, was published in Journal of Neurology.

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

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Waterloo. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. F. Elizabeth Godkin, Erin Turner, Youness Demnati, Adam Vert, Angela
Roberts, Richard H. Swartz, Paula M. McLaughlin, Kyle S. Weber,
Vanessa Thai, Kit B. Beyer, Benjamin Cornish, Agessandro Abrahao,
Sandra E.

Black, Mario Masellis, Lorne Zinman, Derek Beaton, Malcolm A. Binns,
Vivian Chau, Donna Kwan, Andrew Lim, Douglas P. Munoz, Stephen C.

Strother, Kelly M. Sunderland, Brian Tan, William E. McIlroy,
Karen Van Ooteghem. Feasibility of a continuous, multi-sensor remote
health monitoring approach in persons living with neurodegenerative
disease.

Journal of Neurology, 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10831-z ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211220083109.htm

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