How wearable tech could help older Indians catch heart problems and save lives

Many people atrial fibrillation not to have any symptomsBut this heart condition – which involves an irregular and often rapid heartbeat – increases risk It can lead to stroke and heart failure, especially if left untreated.

Wearable devices such as smart watches, increasing role Monitoring heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation.

Recently published to work It is the first study to examine how older Indigenous people living remotely might use wearable devices to monitor their health.

Although it was only a small study – 11 people over five days – in that time one woman was able to recognise that her husband might be at risk. And her knowledge saved his life.

Use of wearable devices for heart health

Research has rarely explored the potential of wearables to monitor atrial fibrillation for Indigenous people, despite them being affected in some way higher rate And young age More than non-Australians – and worse results.

Indigenous Peoples three times more likely Compared to non-Indigenous Australians, people are more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation despite having had a previous stroke or heart attack. Using wearable devices is one way to detect and treat the condition before it gets worse.

In previous research with Indigenous people in rural, remote and regional areas of New South Wales, the majority of older female respondents (92%) said they would like to try a wearable device. monitor their health and fitness.

This is compatible with this other research It shows that locals can embrace new technology with enthusiasm.

What did we do?

Ours new studyWe partnered with an Aboriginal-run health service in a remote corner of New South Wales. We worked side by side to co-design and evaluate a health program using wearable technology.

Evidence suggests that Indigenous health programs that are tailored to local culture and designed in collaboration with the community are more effective.

Together, we recruited 11 Indigenous people aged 55 to 78 who had high blood pressure and were at risk of developing atrial fibrillation. The participants had at least one other risk factor:

• another chronic disease

• heart disease that affects the structure of the heart (for example, its walls or valves)

• previous hit

• History of alcohol use disorder.

Those with diagnosed atrial fibrillation or other irregular heartbeat conditions are not eligible to participate.

Participants wore a chest strap that monitored their heart rate and blood pressure for five days. Nine also wore a smartwatch that recorded heart rate and fitness metrics such as step count.

During daily meetings at the clinic, the researcher downloaded and reviewed the data and discussed participant experiences. We asked participants about four topics: comfort, cultural safety, convenience, and any concerns.

In our study, we used traditional research methods (such as surveys) to collect data. Spinning. This Native speaking process It encourages people to share stories, reinterpret questions, and add information. Compared to the predetermined structure of a survey, yarning prioritizes what the respondent finds most important.

What we found

Despite challenging conditions, including variable internet connectivity and temperatures above 36°C, participants were enthusiastic about the program. Their responses indicated that the watches and patches were a comfortable, convenient and culturally safe way to monitor heart health.

Many participants reported that the program increased their confidence and knowledge about their health. The study also suggested that increased knowledge could have positive outcomes for other community members.

Similar to our previous research, older women in particular spontaneously shared the health information they acquired with family and community members. This effective role Mature indigenous women in their communities.

The information gained helped one of the participants, Aunt Mary, recognize her husband Lindsay’s risk of atrial fibrillation.

Aunt Mary encouraged her to go to the clinic for testing and she was found to have the condition. Soon after, Lindsay underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery which saved her life. Aunt Mary It has been said We:

I was really surprised at how it happened for Lindsay and how it happened really fast. (…) She had no symptoms, no pain. Nothing. No pain to speak of (…) (she was at risk of) having a heart attack.

Participants also wanted the program to be available to more and younger people in their communities. Aunt Mary told us that she has spoken to people about how important the testing is:

It only takes 30 seconds, you put your fingers on this little machine. 30 seconds, it will save your life. I recommend it to my people.

For a future clinic-based program, participants suggested health education sessions in small groups, in person or online, if not individually.

Although not part of the study, we also found that participants used the watches as a source of motivation to be more active, for example by tracking their step count.

Concerns about the wearables program were minimal. Two participants expressed some concern about how tech companies were handling privacy. One told us she trusted universities to keep her data private, but was less confident about the companies that made the wearables.

This led us to create a phone app to extract data from the devices and a new research database to store the data. This database provides greater autonomy by allowing participants to decide whether or not they want to share data with researchers.

What’s next?

Several participants said they believed they had historically not been prioritized for new health technologies because they lived remotely. However, our research shows that older Indigenous people can enthusiastically embrace health technology and want to share in its benefits.

Our study is a first step in showing how such a program might work, but we would like to conduct further research as it only included 11 people over five days. Participants expressed interest in a program that combined personalized health data from wearable devices with fitness.

Ours new project It will do this through online health education and tracking heart activity, blood pressure and exercise (such as step count) for 28 days using wearable devices.