Prototyping a system for measuring stress in people with stress-related complaints using a transdisciplinary approach

Beschrijving

Background: Measuring and monitoring stress has potential benefits for care and selfmanagement for people with stress-related complaints. Early identification and monitoring of stress can be beneficial for various health conditions. Several studies have found that skin conductance and heart activity can be used as a proxy for stress. Measuring these physiological parameters using wearable sensors, might be helpful to identify (de)stressors and consequently, a psychosocial treatment approach. Therefore, wearables are promising as supportive technology for care of people with stress-related
complaints, such as in dementia or physical persistent symptoms (PPS). However, stakeholders like(in)formal caregivers indicate that current available (wearable) systems to measure stress are not fit for purpose within the care as usual. In addition, due to legislation, not all systems are allowed.

Concept: Research through collaborative effort with a diverse group of stakeholders has led to a prototype addressing these barriers. A community of stakeholders has been included in the design and development of the prototype. By integrating their perspectives and requirements, we have developed a prototype that is not only technically viable but also aligns more closely with the practical needs of care. To this end, needs, requirements and evaluations of people with dementia, PPS, (in)formal caregivers, legal- and IT-experts, have been collected. This resulted in using off-the-shelf hardware combined with in-house developed software for appropriate stress visualisations based on wearable sensor data, suitable for care as usual.

Demonstration: This prototype, developed from our transdisciplinary approach,
showcases a solution that is more 'fit for purpose' for the care of individuals with stressrelated complaints. Next to our own prototype, we will demonstrate an off-the-shelf solution for measuring stress. Implications for research, the care and self-management of people with dementia or PPS will be discussed.

Periode	mei 2024
Evenementstitel	Supporting health by technology
Evenementstype	Congres
Locatie	GroningenToon op kaart