Doctors are still dependant on single point-in-time measurements of factors such as blood glucose and hormone levels, which do not show how these factors dip or rise into danger zones over the course of a day. Similarly, monitoring heart rates over time in a hospital does not always show the physical responses caused by everyday stresses.
Sensors for continuous monitoring are being fine-tuned, giving doctors ongoing insight into a patient in order to track the spread of disease, monitor their exposure to environmental factors and assess their mental health and fertility, providing a complete picture of their health. This data can also be compared to the biomarkers within a person’s DNA that suggest how – or whether – their body will respond to particular compounds and metabolize certain drugs.
The UK’s Oxehealth system monitors respiratory rate, pulse rate and oxygen saturation by measuring light reflected from a person’s face using a webcam. It uses novel algorithms that remove the effects of ambient light interference, allowing the technology to be used in everyday settings. Other algorithms are used to process the image recorded with the webcam and extract heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation.
Leave a Reply