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Consumer-grade biosensor validation for examining stress in healthcare professionals
Luke Hopkins1,2, Benjamin Stacey3, David B T Robinson1
1Health Education and Improvement Wales' School of Surgery, Nantgarw, UK.
Physiological Reports
|June 4, 2020
Summary
A wearable biosensor accurately measured energy expenditure and respiration in a pilot study. Further research is needed to validate its use for monitoring healthcare professional stress.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Wearable Technology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Healthcare professionals experience high stress and burnout.
- Current stress-monitoring tools are impractical and non-compliant with infection control policies.
- Stress in healthcare professionals can negatively impact patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the validity of a wearable biosensor for monitoring and managing stress in healthcare professionals.
- To evaluate the accuracy of a consumer-grade biosensor against established physiological measurements.
Main Methods:
- Twelve healthy male volunteers underwent an incremental exercise protocol to induce physiological stress.
- A wearable biosensor (Vital Scout) measured stress, energy expenditure, respiration rate, and activity.
- Biosensor data was validated against online breath-by-breath analysis (gold standard).
Main Results:
- The biosensor demonstrated high accuracy for energy expenditure (r=0.776) and respiration rate (r=0.744).
- Activity measurements correlated well with physiological changes (r=0.777).
- The biosensor showed a poor correlation with stress detection (r=-0.195).
Conclusions:
- The wearable biosensor accurately measures energy expenditure and respiration.
- Biosensors show potential for stress monitoring in healthcare settings.
- Further research is warranted to explore biosensor applications in the peri-hospital environment.
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