Navigating Digital Health Technologies: From Data Collection to Analysis
Igor Matias
Workshop at the International Society for Quality of Life Research Conference 2024.
In Cologne, Germany
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Workshop Goals:
Personal technologies have given us many new and convenient ways of discovering ourselves and our health. This new availability is not only poised to improve our personal lives but also has huge potential to broaden our research toolkit and modify our clinical interactions and clinical trial design to facilitate access and benefit.
The goals of this workshop are to leverage personal technologies to illustrate 1) how digital health technologies (DHTs) can be used to collect data in human subject studies, 2) how DHTs reflect individual’s feelings and states, and 3) how DHTs data can be analyzed for research practices. This workshop links technologies in a bidirectional way to life quality assessments.
The content of this workshop is informed by several frameworks, including the Wilson-Cleary model of patient outcomes, a newly proposed model of terminology for DHTs, and a novel method for causality estimation from observational data.
Intended Audience
Individuals working in or interested in digital health/medicine technologies, health outcomes researchers working with PROs, and individuals interested in learning about connections between these two environments by leveraging personal technologies.
Presentation Format
Lecture 20%. Hands-on: 60%. Q&A 20%.
Overview/Outline
Initially, participants will learn about digital health technology (DHT), including challenges and a newly proposed terminology model. This includes demonstrating the Heel2Toe sensor, a wearable technology for gait analysis. Group work will involve case studies applying this terminology.
The second part involves experimental hypothesis testing with the Heel2Toe sensor. Participants will simulate various moods, fatigue levels, and pain states to observe their impact on gait markers. Real-time biofeedback will be provided to examine its effect on gait quality under different health states. Data from this exercise will be analyzed later and shared.
The final part includes a hands-on analysis of DHT data. This includes population-level analysis and individual causality estimation. Optionally, participants can collect personal data using a wearable device during the conference. The workshop concludes with discussions on technology experiences, PRO linkages, and their research and clinical practice implications.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the conference, participants will be able to identify the theoretical and practical challenges and opportunities in implementing DHT as a method of data collection. Participants will accomplish this goal through information sessions, case studies, and experiential learning in acquisition and analysis. Accomplishing this goal will give participants enhanced competency and confidence in implementing DHTs in their own research.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to explain/articulate the relationship between digital biomarker data and health states. Participants will accomplish this through playing an active role in a real-time proof of concept experience. Accomplishing this goal will allow participants the skills needed to justify the use of digital biomarker data to identify health states and changes in them.
By the end of the session, participants will gain experience and know-how on how to analyze and interpret DHT data. Participants will accomplish this goal by analyzing real-world, collected sensor-based DHT data at the group and individual levels. This will equip the participants with a toolkit to replicate the analysis with their own data collected throughout the conference, as well as in their own work roles.
Organizers:
Igor Matias, MSc PhD student, University of Geneva, Quality of Life Technologies Lab, Geneva, Switzerland
Nancy Mayo, BSc(PT) MSc PhD, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Piper Fromy, PhD, SeeingTheta, Saumur, France
Katarzyna Wac, PhD in Information Systems, University of Geneva, Quality of Life Technologies Lab, Geneva, Switzerland
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Archived program here
