Remote Monitoring using Smart Watches to Monitor and Manage Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Computer and Information Sciences
Abstract
The well documented phenomenon of an increasing ageing population brings with it both challenges and opportunities. People are living longer and as a result are often managing multiple morbidities and increasingly expected to, or wanting to manage their health and wellbeing out of hospitals and care homes.
The promise of emerging digital health technologies such as mobile phone apps, wearables and smart watches offers us novel ways to proactively monitor and manage our health and wellness (for example via applications such as Strava or Fitbit). Wearables such as smart watches for example offer opportunity for us to track and monitor not just our movements (via accelerometers for example) but also to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate etc. As interaction via watches becomes more common, we can also explore how to capture self-reported outcomes (how the person is reporting they feel) and experiences of the patient/user in real time and on the go. This wealth of generated data (both self-reported and sensed) could be used to identify patterns, and events, that can be used to decide when to intervene with tailored health information at the right time, and the right place in ways that can help to better monitor and/or prevent a range of symptoms from exacerbating.
The aim of this project will be to use large scale rapid prototyping and studies 'in the wild' to empirically investigate the use of smart watch technology to support the remote monitoring of the population (targeting both healthy populations and sub sets of people with long term conditions such as respiratory disease or diabetes for example).
This will include exploring (i) what new vital signs and symptoms can be reliably detected using sensors available in the watch; (ii) what patterns of activity (e.g. sedentary behaviour or physical activity) can be meaningfully detected via modern smart watches, (iii) the best ways (experience sampling, diary entries, speech) to remotely monitor patient reported outcomes via such wearable devices in real time and (iv) how to best deliver (modality, timing, context) tailored notifications to the users based on patterns of data collected from (i-iv).
The student will:
1 - Review the literature to examine how smart watch and sensor technology has been used effectively in both the health and HCI (human computer interaction) literature - Y1
2 - Review of existing sensor based technology to examine the current accuracy and utility of using sensors to detect and recognise vital signs and symptoms - Y1
3 - Qualitatively explore the perceptions and attitudes of either (or both of) patients, consumers, clinicians with regards to the acceptance and usability of such symptom monitoring via watches (e.g. trust, privacy, usability) - Y1-Y2
4 - Design and develop demonstrator 'apps' in order to systematically investigate different methods of monitoring symptoms - Y2
5 - Conduct a large scale user trial of remote symptom monitoring via smart watches which will allow: - Y3
- (a) systematic evaluation of both the performance of, and preference for a variety of different methods for remote symptom monitoring via smart watches
- (b) evaluation of feedback modalities and methods (ways of delivering health based notifications/messages) to the user/patient via the smart watch.
6 - Produce recommendations and guidelines for both health and wellness practitioners and also smartwatch developers. - Y4
This PhD is in the domain of data science and health, key areas of investment for both UK and Scottish governments (e.g. via the SFC funded Digital Health and Care Institute and DataLab.
This PhD is relevant to a wide range of health and care specialists (inc. NHS) and decision makers and to both big players such as Apple (watch) as well as an increasing number of smaller sensor and wearable companies
The promise of emerging digital health technologies such as mobile phone apps, wearables and smart watches offers us novel ways to proactively monitor and manage our health and wellness (for example via applications such as Strava or Fitbit). Wearables such as smart watches for example offer opportunity for us to track and monitor not just our movements (via accelerometers for example) but also to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate etc. As interaction via watches becomes more common, we can also explore how to capture self-reported outcomes (how the person is reporting they feel) and experiences of the patient/user in real time and on the go. This wealth of generated data (both self-reported and sensed) could be used to identify patterns, and events, that can be used to decide when to intervene with tailored health information at the right time, and the right place in ways that can help to better monitor and/or prevent a range of symptoms from exacerbating.
The aim of this project will be to use large scale rapid prototyping and studies 'in the wild' to empirically investigate the use of smart watch technology to support the remote monitoring of the population (targeting both healthy populations and sub sets of people with long term conditions such as respiratory disease or diabetes for example).
This will include exploring (i) what new vital signs and symptoms can be reliably detected using sensors available in the watch; (ii) what patterns of activity (e.g. sedentary behaviour or physical activity) can be meaningfully detected via modern smart watches, (iii) the best ways (experience sampling, diary entries, speech) to remotely monitor patient reported outcomes via such wearable devices in real time and (iv) how to best deliver (modality, timing, context) tailored notifications to the users based on patterns of data collected from (i-iv).
The student will:
1 - Review the literature to examine how smart watch and sensor technology has been used effectively in both the health and HCI (human computer interaction) literature - Y1
2 - Review of existing sensor based technology to examine the current accuracy and utility of using sensors to detect and recognise vital signs and symptoms - Y1
3 - Qualitatively explore the perceptions and attitudes of either (or both of) patients, consumers, clinicians with regards to the acceptance and usability of such symptom monitoring via watches (e.g. trust, privacy, usability) - Y1-Y2
4 - Design and develop demonstrator 'apps' in order to systematically investigate different methods of monitoring symptoms - Y2
5 - Conduct a large scale user trial of remote symptom monitoring via smart watches which will allow: - Y3
- (a) systematic evaluation of both the performance of, and preference for a variety of different methods for remote symptom monitoring via smart watches
- (b) evaluation of feedback modalities and methods (ways of delivering health based notifications/messages) to the user/patient via the smart watch.
6 - Produce recommendations and guidelines for both health and wellness practitioners and also smartwatch developers. - Y4
This PhD is in the domain of data science and health, key areas of investment for both UK and Scottish governments (e.g. via the SFC funded Digital Health and Care Institute and DataLab.
This PhD is relevant to a wide range of health and care specialists (inc. NHS) and decision makers and to both big players such as Apple (watch) as well as an increasing number of smaller sensor and wearable companies
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/R513349/1 | 01/10/2018 | 30/09/2023 | |||
| 2283771 | Studentship | EP/R513349/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/09/2022 | Rachel Sales |
| Description | So far, this research has discovered how and why people use wearables to monitor Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) and other similar chronic conditions, both for a larger population (~750 complete survey results) and for twenty interviewed individuals. This has included medical experiences, wearables brand and model choices, and participant opinions of using a technology for condition monitoring that wasn't designed primarily for that purpose. Throughout this research a focus has been placed on lived experiences from participants who have the relevant chronic conditions, following the disability right mantra "nothing about us without us" in aiming to amplify their voices and keep their perspectives at the heart of this research. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of this funding will hopefully be multi-faceted. For people with PoTS, it is hoped that this research will not only increase awareness of wearables as a potential condition monitoring method, but also give more specific guidance as to how they could be used comfortably and effectively, including how to choose a suitable device. For clinicians, this research gives a chance to see more patient perspectives, hopefully helping them understand why people may or may not choose to monitor their PoTS using wearables. Finally, for companies seeking to manufacture wearables, this research will hopefully inform them of a specific audience who choose to use their devices for this condition monitoring purpose, making them aware of the disability impacts that their devices can have and which features are most valuable to these users. |
| Sectors | Healthcare |
| Description | This award includes research focussing on a relatively rare condition, and the studies conducted so far have hopefully given people with PoTS the chance to feel listened to and valued by academia. The HMSA magazine article hopefully gave readers (people with hypermobility syndromes, professionals, and charity supporters) more awareness of perception and use of wearables by people with PoTS and/or related chronic conditions. Research findings have also been communicated to participants via email and it is hoped that these gave people a greater idea of how their individual condition monitoring methods and/or wearable compare to other people with similar conditions, both locally and internationally. There is comparatively little discussion of the use of wearables to monitor PoTS in the literature and it is hoped that the findings generated so far on how common this is and the way this technology is used, when published, will be able to change that. At this point, in academic spaces, the researcher's main aim has been to raise awareness of PoTS, a condition that has become especially relevant given Long Covid. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Title | A Survey to Investigate the Use of Wearable Technology to Monitor Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. |
| Description | Data collected from the first study of this award, a survey asking people with PoTS and/or other chronic conditions about their current condition monitoring methods, including their use of wearable technology. Participants were also asked about their wider opinions of wearable technology. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This research provided the researcher with a good idea of how a wide range of people with PoTS and/or other chronic conditions choose to monitor their conditions, including how and why they do or don't use wearables to do so. It also gave an idea of which data types are most popularly tracked using wearables by this population. As well as this, this data helped to refine the development of the following study, a series of one-on-one interviews asking about individual experiences of PoTS, condition monitoring, and wearables. |
| Title | Interviews to Investigate Individual Use of Wearable Technology to Monitor Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. |
| Description | Data collected from the second study of this award, a series of twenty interviews asking people with PoTS about their current condition monitoring methods, including their use of wearable technology, in order to gain individual narratives. This data primarily consists of edited interview transcripts. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This research provided the researcher with knowledge of how twenty individual people with PoTS choose to monitor their conditions on a day to day basis over a period of time. This includes their past and present experiences of wearables and interactions with their clinicians about them. Participants were also asked about their ideal wearable and what features it'd have. |
| Description | Survey distribution by Dysautonomia International |
| Organisation | Dysautonomia International |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | A survey was written to ask people with PoTS and/or other chronic illnesses about their experiences of wearable technology, which included sign ups at the end for a further interview study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dysautonomia International assisted with this research by meeting with the researcher for an hour long discussion about the study, proof-reading the survey, then assisting with its distribution. They distributed the study via an email newsletter received by thousands of supporters internationally, resulting in hundreds of survey responses from across the globe. |
| Impact | Outputs from this collaboration include survey data, interview sign ups (and thus interview data), as well as increased expertise from the conversation had with the organisation. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Survey distribution by the Hypermobility Syndromes Association |
| Organisation | Hypermobility Syndromes Association |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | A survey was written to ask people with PoTS and/or other chronic illnesses about their experiences of wearable technology, which included sign ups at the end for a further interview study. A graphic was made to promote the survey. Following the survey, an article about its initial results was written for HMSA's magazine. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dysautonomia International assisted with this research by proof-reading the survey, then assisting with its distribution. They distributed the study via email. Overall, the survey received hundreds of responses from across the globe. |
| Impact | Outputs from this collaboration include survey data, interview sign ups (and thus interview data), and a magazine article. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Digital Health and Wellness Group Seminar Talk - 12th October 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A seminar talk given to members of the Digital Health and Wellness research group at the University of Strathclyde, followed by questions and discussion, which led to greater knowledge of and increased interest in this research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Joint Colloquium with University of Waterloo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A collaborative event took place between the University of Strathclyde and the University of Waterloo, in order to learn more about each others' digital health research. The researcher created a poster and discussed both it and other's posters via GatherTown. This increased knowledge of each other's research and resulted in a chance to broaden horizons for all who took part. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Published magazine article (Hypermobility Syndromes Association Journal vol 15, Summer 2021) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | The Hypermobility Syndromes Association is a UK based charity that assisted with the distribution of the first research study component of this award. As a result of this assistance, they requested an article be written for their magazine to inform its readers (including their supporters, physicians, and members of the hypermobility community) about the findings of this research. This three page article was written in Spring 2021 and published in volume 15 of their bi-annual magazine. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.hypermobility.org/product-page/journal-summer-2021-volume-12 |
| Description | iSchool Seminar Talk - 1st February 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A seminar talk given to members of the iSchool research group at the University of Strathclyde, followed by questions and discussion, which led to greater knowledge of and increased interest in this research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |