Background Heart failure (HF) is a common chronic condition that affects over 26 million people worldwide. It is a progressive and debilitating disease with a broad symptom profile, intermittently marked by periods of acute decompensation. People with HF generally do not self-manage their condition well (eg, monitoring symptoms, taking medications regularly, physical activity, etc). A better understanding of self-care activities and what factors may indicate deterioration is warranted. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using wearable cameras to assess self-care activities in people with HF. The study objectives were to (1) explore whether changes in self-care activities could be identified prior to hospitalization and (2) determine the acceptability of wearable cameras to people with HF. Methods A total of 30 people recently diagnosed with HF wore a camera for a maximum of 30 days; the camera took a photo every 30 seconds in the forward-facing direction. At the end of the study, all 30 participants were presented with 8 statements of acceptability, scored on a 5-point Likert scale. To determine whether camera images could identify changes in self-care activities and lifestyle risk factors before hospitalization, we analyzed images from participants (n=8) who were hospitalized during the 30-day study period. Images from the period immediately prior to hospitalization and a comparison were selected for each participant. Images were manually coded according to 9 different event categories relating to self-care and lifestyle risk factors, and events were compared between the 2 periods. Results The participants reported high acceptability for wearing the cameras, as most strongly agreed or agreed that they were comfortable to wear (28/30, 93%) and easy to use (30/30, 100%). The results of the camera image analysis showed that participants undertook fewer activities of daily living (P=.008) and were more sedentary (P=.02) prior to being hospitalized, compared to a period nonadjacent to hospitalization. Conclusions Adults with HF were accepting of using a wearable camera for periods within a 30-day time frame. Wearable cameras were a feasible approach for providing data on selected self-care activities and lifestyle risk factors for HF and offer the potential to be a valuable tool for improving our understanding of self-care.
BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is a progressive and debilitating disease with a broad symptom profile, intermittently marked by periods of acute decompensation. People living with HF generally do not self-manage their condition well (monitoring symptoms, physical activity etc). A better understanding of how people self-manage, and what factors may indicate deterioration is warranted. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of wearable cameras to understand the living experience of people with HF. METHODS Thirty people recently diagnosed with HF wore a camera for a maximum of 30 days; the camera took a photo every 30 seconds in the forward facing direction. Camera images were reviewed manually and coded according to 13 different self-management categories. Images were also reviewed and compared for periods adjacent and non-adjacent to rehospitalization (n = 8). RESULTS Participants reported high acceptability to wear the cameras. Camera images showed participants undertook fewer activities of daily living (p = 0.008) and were more sedentary (p = 0.017) prior to being rehospitalized, compared to two weeks before hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Wearable cameras have potential to be a valuable tool for identifying self-management behaviours and could be used to better support people living with HF.
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