Homepage Portfolio Information Product & Client Metadata User Story Expectations Reasearch Reflection Any Questions?
HRV Responsive App
Notification manager, researcher & general programmer.

Information

    Evaluate incoming HRV data for signs of stress.
    Alert the user when possible Moderate or High-stress levels are detected.
    Query user as to the accuracy of alerts. The battery appears to heat up quickly.
    The battery isn’t always compatible with the power supply.
    Record user input to further clarify alerts.
    In this case, we used HRV to indicate to our users the possibility of a runaway TSR/CSR so they can try to de-escalate before they reach the point of no return.
    1. Evaluate incoming HRV data for signs of stress.
    2. Read and calculate HRV at a fixed sample rate (will be determined later based on the capabilities/limitations of the device).
    3. Gather HRV information in the background continuously while the watch is worn.
    4. Notify the user upon reaching the undesired HRV threshold using both sound and haptic feedback.
    5. Integrate live calculated data with Apple HealthKit for data storage and export.
    User Interface: show the descriptive text of the current HRV status.
    User Interface: show live calculated data value of the HRV.
    User Interface: show a graphical view of the HRV trend from a set time (will be determined later based on the capabilities/limitations of the device).

Product & Client

Metadata

Developed an HRV Responsive App for the Apple Watch.

Providence St. Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center - Frank K. Jackson, DO

January to June 2022.

WatchOS 8.5, iOS 15.0.

Swift, Xcode, & test-driven development.

Whitney Bolar, Mia Hunt, Justin Plett, & Jonathan Thiessen.

User story expectations

As a patient, I want to be able to set up the app without needing to input a lot of personal information so that I can save time.

As a health professional, I want a simple app setup process so that I can easily guide my patients in setting up the app.

As a patient, I want to find good online documentation on the app's usage so that I have an easily accessible resource if I need help or have questions.

As a health professional, I want to find good online documentation on the app's usage so that I can direct my patients to easily accessible resources if they need help or have questions.




    As a patient, I want to easily view my current HRV statistics and historical HRV statistics, so I can be reassured that my HRV is within a normal range.
    As a health professional, I want a place where I can view my patient's HRV historical data, so I can work with the patient to develop/modify a treatment plan for their condition.
    As a patient, I want to be able to easily port my historical HRV statistics to my other devices so I can send them to my healthcare health professional.
    As a health professional, I want to be able to transfer my patients’ HRV data in a graphical format to other devices to more accurately utilize the tool.
    As a patient, I want my collected HRV data to be stored in my health app so that I can view all my collected HRV data from one localized place alongside my health data collected from other sources.
    As a health professional, I want my patients’ collected HRV data to be stored in one localized place in the Health app so that my patients can more conveniently use the app.



As a health professional, I want to give my patient the ability to monitor their HRV such that they can know when variations occur. This will allow them to know when they need to follow the steps provided in their treatment plan.

As a patient, I want to be able to use common daily apps alongside HRV monitoring so the functionality of my watch is maximized and allows me to go about my daily life.

As a patient, I want to constantly monitor my HRV so I can know when a variation occurs causing a fight or flight response.

As a patient, I want to be able to choose when I want my HRV to be monitored so that I have control over when my data is being collected and as a means of preserving my device’s battery life.




    As a patient, I want to be alerted through visual, auditory, or haptic notifications before my HRV approaches a high-risk zone. That way, they can prevent any panic attacks, high stress-induced episodes, etc.
    As a health professional, I want my patient to be alerted through visual, auditory, or haptic notifications before their HRV approaches a high-risk zone so that they can prevent any panic attacks, high stress-induced episodes, etc.
    As a patient, I want to be able to choose the preferred forms of notification, visual, auditory, and haptic so that I can find the most effective way to be alerted and be able to tailor it to my current tasks and environment.
    As a health professional, I want my patients to be able to choose their preferred forms of notification, visual, auditory, and haptic so that we can find the most effective way to be alerted and be able to tailor it to their current tasks and environment.
    As a patient, I want to be able to turn off notifications so that I can prevent loud distractions or disturbances in situations where I am around people and must maintain a level of quiet.
    As a health professional, I want my patients to be able to turn off notifications so that they can prevent loud distractions or disturbances in situations where they are around people and must maintain a level of quiet.

As a patient, I want to know clearly what the application is going to do with my data so that I understand the necessity and the reasoning behind permitting me to use and collect my health data. I want to be able to decide what data I share and with whom to protect my health data.

As a health professional, I want to know clearly what the application is going to do with my patients’ data so that I can assure my patients of the necessity of and reasoning.

Research

    HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is a measurement of the variable time between heartbeats, but not the rate of heartbeats itself.
    Studies have shown that this metric can be used to indicate when your sympathetic nervous system increases activity due to an impending fight or flight response.
    We are using a formula called Root Mean Squared Sum of the Differences (RMSSD) to calculate HRV, chosen for short-term monitoring.
    Utilizing time-domain method to monitor HRV.
    Our time window is 30 seconds which is a recommended short-term monitoring interval. Store the time difference in milliseconds of the interbeat time interval (IBI) of each beat/ heart rate value.

Reflection

    The application can be used to determine an impending fight or flight response. The collected data is isolated on the device itself and encrypted to maintain privacy and security. With user permission, the collected data can be uploaded to the User’s Apple’s Healthkit application This data can then be accessed by their healthcare providers as needed with permission.
    The HRV machine learning model can predict the current stress level to determine whether a user should be notified.
    low, moderate, and high. Notifications will be sent when ‘high’ stress is predicted.
    Functional Requirements: Emergency contact (not for emergency medical aid) setting in the initial setup of the app for situations like panic attacks. Non-Functional Requirements: User Interface: show short settings menu for toggling “Contact Emergency Contact when HRV is in danger threshold” and future features.