Mobile Health-tracking Technologies for People with ID
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mobile Health-tracking Technologies and the Integration of Psychiatric, Physiological, and Behavioural Data: Cross-syndrome Research Focusing on People with Intellectual Disabilities
IRAS ID
271509
Contact name
Anthony Holland
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 3 days
Research summary
People with intellectual disabilities (ID) often have life-long health and social care needs for many reasons, including the presence of cognitive, social, and linguistic impairments and the presence of additional behavioural and mental health needs. As changes from baseline, whether they are, psychological, psychiatric, or behavioural, can be a significant indicator of a deterioration in health conditions, obtaining individualized clinical trends over time from this population is particularly important, yet difficult. Smartphones and other mobile technologies are now enabling the collection of various forms of data and these technologies may also be used to collect physiological, behavioural, and mental state data from people with ID.
In collaboration with the industry, academic colleagues, and different groups of people with intellectual disabilities who have specific neurodevelopmental syndromes, the aims of this study are two-fold: (1) to develop and evaluate the feasibility of an integrated health-tracking system that combines a smartphone self-assessment app with digital wrist sensors (i.e., smartwatches) to collect physiological, behavioural, and mental sate data from people with ID and their caregivers; (2) to undertake preliminary clinical studies involving people with ID, aged 12 years and older, and their caregivers to investigate the relationships between the different data sets. We anticipate to recruit 30 participants with mild intellectual disabilities, who are capable to consent. During these empirical studies, participants will be asked to wear the smartwatches and to answer the daily self-assessment questionnaire through their mobile phones.
In relation to the second objective, the research team's ultimately aim to examine and model various health data to determine possible clinical and physiological signatures of developing psychiatric and/or behaviour disorders. Such investigations will enable caregivers and clinicians to better understand the contributors to, and antecedents of, such behaviour problems and to develop more effective intervention strategies.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EE/0085
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion