Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Feb 7, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 6, 2025
Predicting Risk of Heat-Related Injuries for Individuals Wearing Personal Protective Equipment using Smartwatches: A Feasibility Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The risk of developing heat-related illness (HRI) increases when personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn, especially in hot and humid environments. While cooling strategies are effective, they must be applied preemptively or delivered promptly, which can be difficult if individuals are working in dangerous environments or wearing contaminated PPE. Wearable sensors can be leveraged to continuously monitor health including heart rate, respiration rate, blood oxygen levels, and physical activity. Metrics can be acquired, and alerts can be generated to inform individuals, colleagues, and/or supervisors of deteriorating health status.
Objective:
Evaluate the use of wearable sensors for monitoring the real-time health of individuals wearing PPE to mitigate risk of developing an HRI and enable timely intervention.
Methods:
Individuals participating in planned field trainings/exercises were asked to wear Garmin Fenix 6 smartwatches before, during, and after the event to monitor health and recovery. These individuals wore PPE during the training/exercise.
Results:
Two pilot studies were conducted using the Garmin Fenix 6 smartwatch to assess wearability, data quality, and data accuracy.
Conclusions:
The Garmin Fenix 6 smartwatch is an appropriate choice for continuously monitoring the health of individuals wearing PPE. The watch is well tolerated for extended wear periods and does not interfere with PPE. Data quality and accuracy is sufficient for monitoring heart rate and predicting core body temperature. Clinical Trial: The work described in this paper is not part of an ongoing clinical trial. The University of North Carolina Institutional Review Board approved this protocol [22-0817].
Citation
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Copyright
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