Factors that affect Camera based Self-Monitoring of Vitals in the Wild

TL;DR

This study investigates the variability in self-monitoring vital signs using camera-based smartphone solutions, highlighting significant positional and hardware influences that affect measurement reliability in real-world settings.

Contribution

It is the first study to quantify and compare variability in camera-based vital sign monitoring with traditional medical devices in real-world conditions.

Findings

Significant variability in BP, SpO2, HR measurements due to position and hardware.

Camera-based solutions exhibit similar variability to medical devices.

Variability impacts the reliability of self-monitoring in uncontrolled environments.

Abstract

The reliability of the results of self monitoring of the vitals in the wild using medical devices or wearables or camera based smart phone solutions is subject to variabilities such as position of placement, hardware of the device and environmental factors. In this first of its kind study, we demonstrate that this variability in self monitoring of Blood Pressure (BP), Blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) and Heart rate (HR) is statistically significant (p<0.05) on 203 healthy subjects by quantifying positional and hardware variability. We also establish the existence of this variability in camera based solutions for self-monitoring of vitals in smart phones and thus prove that the use of camera based smart phone solutions is similar to the use of medical devices or wearables for self-monitoring in the wild.