Digital Phenotyping to Quantify Psychosocial Wellbeing Trajectories after Spinal Cord Injury
Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2020 · DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001506 · Published: December 1, 2020
Simple Explanation
This study explores the use of smartphones to monitor depression and its relationship to psychosocial wellbeing in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Participants used a smartphone app to report symptoms and track activity levels, providing frequent measurements over time. This allowed researchers to examine how depression relates to social engagement, mobility, health, and exercise participation. The study found that using smartphones for this purpose is feasible but faces challenges with participant retention. It also highlighted that there are individual differences in depression patterns, which suggests this approach could be useful for personalized treatment.
Key Findings
- 1Smartphone-based digital phenotyping of psychosocial wellbeing after SCI is feasible but not without attrition challenges.
- 2Roughly half of participants with complete data had at least one week of mild depression during the four months.
- 3Those with depression consistently had lower satisfaction with social engagement and a restricted ability to participate in SRA.
Research Summary
Practical Implications
Personalized Interventions
The study suggests that digital phenotyping can help tailor interventions to individual needs, improving their effectiveness.
Remote Monitoring
Smartphones can be used to remotely monitor patients' psychosocial wellbeing, reducing the need for frequent clinic visits.
Early Detection
Continuous monitoring can help detect early signs of psychosocial distress, allowing for timely intervention.
Study Limitations
- 1Study attrition suggests that the unique demands of a new SCI contributed to drop out.
- 2One of the most common reasons for drop out was time constraints and so monitoring psychosocial wellbeing via passive smartphone sensor data that does not require participant input may be warranted.
- 3This study did not collect clinical, demographic, or socioeconomic data on individuals who were approached by study staff and were found to be either ineligible or not interested in research.