Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35594139›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2022

Exploring the Use of Wearable Sensors and Natural Language Processing Technology to Improve Patient-Clinician Communication: Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

Virginia LeBaron, Mehdi Boukhechba, James Edwards, Tabor Flickinger, David Ling, Laura E Barnes

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Virginia LeBaronSchool of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1299-4730
Mehdi BoukhechbaSchool of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6295-2523
James EdwardsSchool of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8728-192X
Tabor FlickingerSchool of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8820-2536
David LingSchool of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1536-980X
Laura E BarnesSchool of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8224-5164
University of Virginia · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEffective communication is the bedrock of quality health care, but it continues to be a major problem for patients, family caregivers, health care providers, and organizations. Although progress related to communication skills training for health care providers has been made, clinical practice and research gaps persist, particularly regarding how to best monitor, measure, and evaluate the implementation of communication skills in the actual clinical setting and provide timely feedback about communication effectiveness and quality.

objectiveOur interdisciplinary team of investigators aims to develop, and pilot test, a novel sensing system and associated natural language processing algorithms (CommSense) that can (1) be used on mobile devices, such as smartwatches; (2) reliably capture patient-clinician interactions in a clinical setting; and (3) process these communications to extract key markers of communication effectiveness and quality. The long-term goal of this research is to use CommSense in a variety of health care contexts to provide real-time feedback to end users to improve communication and patient health outcomes.

methodsThis is a 1-year pilot study. During Phase I (Aim 1), we will identify feasible metrics of communication to extract from conversations using CommSense. To achieve this, clinical investigators will conduct a thorough review of the recent health care communication and palliative care literature to develop an evidence-based "ideal and optimal" list of communication metrics. This list will be discussed collaboratively within the study team and consensus will be reached regarding the included items. In Phase II (Aim 2), we will develop the CommSense software by sharing the "ideal and optimal" list of communication metrics with engineering investigators to gauge technical feasibility. CommSense will build upon prior work using an existing Android smartwatch platform (SWear) and will include sensing modules that can collect (1) physiological metrics via embedded sensors to measure markers of stress (eg, heart rate variability), (2) gesture data via embedded accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, and (3) voice and ultimately textual features via the embedded microphone. In Phase III (Aim 3), we will pilot test the ability of CommSense to accurately extract identified communication metrics using simulated clinical scenarios with nurse and physician participants.

resultsDevelopment of the CommSense platform began in November 2021, with participant recruitment expected to begin in summer 2022. We anticipate that preliminary results will be available in fall 2022.

conclusionsCommSense is poised to make a valuable contribution to communication science, ubiquitous computing technologies, and natural language processing. We are particularly eager to explore the ability of CommSense to support effective virtual and remote health care interactions and reduce disparities related to patient-clinician communication in the context of serious illness. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/37975.

Indexed as

cancercommunicationpalliative caretechnologyubiquitous computing, natural language processing

Identifiers

PMID35594139
PMCPMC9166632
OpenAlexW4220671609

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.