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Session: Behavior & Monitoring
Session starts: Thursday 24 January, 13:30
Presentation starts: 13:45
Room: Lecture room 535

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Glen Debard (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)
Romy Sels (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)
Marc Mertens (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)
Nele De Witte (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)
Tom Van Daele (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)
Bert Bonroy (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences)

Abstract:
Wearables can collect physiological data continuously. This can give information both on vulnerability factors and the process of recovery in mental disorders. However, current technological applications in this field are limited. Burnout and depression are highly prevalent mental disorders that have a large impact on psycho-emotional wellbeing and are associated with substantial societal and economical costs. The Carewear project project (Vlaio Tetra HBC.2016.0099) aims to enrich current employee assistance programs and the treatment of depression with the implementation of wearable technology. We have developed an online software platform and accompanying clinical guidelines that allow healthcare professionals to use physiological data as a useful addition to their current practices. Two use cases are defined to investigate the added value of this implementation of wearable technology to help prevent burnout and treat depression. Clients are asked to wear a wristband that registers several physiological parameters. These are blood volume pulse, skin conductance, skin temperature and movement. Algorithms using artificial intelligence are being developed to translate these physiological parameters into data that can be used to assist in the assessment of the mental health of the subject. The data consists of the heart rate variability, stress peaks using skin conductance, skin temperature, and heart rate, and physical activity. This physiological data can be inspected and completed on the online Carewear dashboard and consequently discussed in regular consults. Altogether, the Carewear project aims to encourage the use of wearable technology in mental healthcare by providing a user-friendly platform and clinical guidelines. Both are tailored for elevated stress and depressive symptoms, which makes physiological data accessible and comprehensible for both healthcare professionals and clients. Wearable technology has a large potential in the field of mental healthcare but there are still some challenges in the practical implementation. The current wrist-worn wearables still have difficulties to produce valid signals which leads to more postprocessing which decreases the accuracy of the physiological data. Also most commercial systems use low sample rates and are often closed systems, which makes it difficult to use the raw data. Current research will determine their usability in our context.