Feasibility of Using a Smartwatch to Intensively Monitor Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

BackgroundAcute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with accelerated decline in lung function, diminished quality of life, and higher mortality. Proactively monitoring patients for early signs of an exacerbation and treating them early could prevent these outcomes. The emergence of affordable wearable technology allows for nearly continuous monitoring of heart rate and physical activity as well as recording of audio which can detect features such as coughing. These signals may be able to be used with predictive analytics to detect early exacerbations. Prior to full development, however, it is important to determine the feasibility of using wearable devices such as smartwatches to intensively monitor patients with COPD.ObjectiveWe conducted a feasibility study to determine if patients with COPD would wear and maintain a smartwatch consistently and whether they would reliably collect and transmit sensor data.MethodsPatients with COPD were recruited from 3 hospitals and were provided with a smartwatch that recorded audio, heart rate, and accelerations. They were asked to wear and charge it daily for 90 days. They were also asked to complete a daily symptom diary. At the end of the study period, participants were asked what would motivate them to regularly use a wearable for monitoring of their COPD.ResultsOf 28 patients enrolled, 16 participants completed the full 90 days. The average age of participants was 68.5 years, and 36% (10/28) were women. Survey, heart rate, and activity data were available for an average of 64.5, 65.1, and 60.2 days respectively. Technical issues caused heart rate and activity data to be unavailable for approximately 13 and 17 days, respectively. Feedback provided by participants indicated that they wanted to actively engage with the smartwatch and receive feedback about their activity, heart rate, and how to better manage their COPD.ConclusionsSome patients with COPD will wear and maintain smartwatches that passively monitor audio, heart rate, and physical activity, and wearables were able to reliably capture near-continuous patient data. Further work is necessary to increase acceptability and improve the patient experience.

Using wearables and self-management apps in patients with COPD: a qualitative study

“…We conducted a qualitative study to determine what patients with COPD would like to have in a wearable device and mobile application to help manage their condition. This study is part of a larger ongoing project to develop wearables for patients with COPD to improve self-management and detect acute exacerbations early [7, 8].…”

“…In our previous work, we found that it was feasible for people with COPD to use wearables for real-time data collection, but many people were not interested in participating or did not complete the study. We found that patients with COPD wanted more from a wearable device [7].…”

A qualitative study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to adopting digital health technology

“…oximeters and pedometers) and healthcare ‘apps’, has been identified as an innovative model to help optimise the provision of COPD care by supporting patients to enhance the knowledge and sense of control they possess over self-management practices such as self-monitoring and problem solving. 12–14 Healthcare professionals (HCPs) can benefit from longitudinal datasets captured outside the clinic to inform decision-making and support self-management through the personalisation of treatment plans that are more aligned with patient needs and preferences. 15–18…”

Traceability by Smart Devices, Cellular Channels and Social Network Topography May Help to Coup Covid-19 Transmogrify

“…FitOn and Garmin which are mostly equipped with precision body sensors and have unique features to support healthy life by routinely tracking health activities such as body temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory health, physical activities, facial expression and voice recognition [4,5,[12][13][14][15]. Along with health tracking facilities, to support physical activities and to help in medical emergency; smart devices retain location tracking capabilities in collaborating with various service providers and popular social networks.…”

“…Along with health tracking facilities, to support physical activities and to help in medical emergency; smart devices retain location tracking capabilities in collaborating with various service providers and popular social networks. With strong privacy features, these smart devices and radio signals may help in COVID-19 infection traceability, detection, smart isolation and may alert to an established centralized pandemic surveillance center for the traceability and detection of new and unidentified infected individuals or specific infested community by collecting individualized health data such as abnormal temperature, unrhythmic heart rates, abnormal oxygen saturation, respiratory distress, atypical voice pitch and unconscious facial recognition [2,8,[12][13][14][15]. Additionally, social network models plausible on real life social structures, activities, relations and comprises on everyday life activities for the wellbeing and socialization of mankind [3].…”