Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Jun 30, 2025
Date Accepted: May 18, 2026
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Inclusive Contactless Monitoring – Perspectives of Older Adults from Diverse Backgrounds
ABSTRACT
Background:
As Canada’s population ages, accessible tools for chronic health monitoring are increasingly needed. Traditional and contact-based devices pose barriers for underserved populations due to cost, maintenance, and usability. Contactless sensing technologies offer a promising alternative, but equitable development requires inclusive engagement and diverse data collection.
Objective:
This work aimed, firstly, to gather perspectives from culturally- and health-diverse seniors on innovative contactless vital-sign monitoring technology and, secondly, to build on a diverse dataset for developing and testing the contactless sensing software VitalSeer by the National Research Council of Canada.
Methods:
A mixed-methods study was conducted on 48 diverse and elderly adults across three sites. Participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire, which had closed and open-ended questions regarding their perspectives on contactless sensing technology. Video and reference vital sign data were collected from each participant using a portable system that was designed specifically for gathering controlled data.
Results:
We collected data from 48 (mean 70, SD 8 years), of which 98% expressed a positive perception of the usefulness of a contactless sensing system. We also identified 4 themes from the qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions: (1)Perceived Value – System potential and clinical relevance, (2)Ease of Use – Non-invasiveness and comfort, (3)Trust and Transparency – Data security and clarity of design, and (4)Inclusion and Improvement – Accessibility, functionality, and feature expansion. Finally, the collected data, 288 minutes of concurrent video and reference vital sign data, will be used to test and enhance contactless sensing software for diverse senior populations.
Conclusions:
This work demonstrates and furthers the goal of inclusive medical device research and development. It highlights the potential for contactless sensing to be adopted to support independent living for older, diverse adults. Research is ongoing to adapt the technology for widespread adoption.
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