Open AccessSociometric wearable devices for studying human behavior in corporate and healthcare workplaces
Author(s) -
Asami Ito-Masui,
Eiji Kawamoto,
Ryo Esumi,
Hiroshi Imai,
Motomu Shimaoka
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biotechniques/biotechniques
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1940-9818
pISSN - 0736-6205
DOI - 10.2144/btn-2020-0160
Subject(s) - wearable computer , teamwork , health care , wearable technology , computer science , strengths and weaknesses , human health , human–computer interaction , data science , knowledge management , psychology , medicine , embedded system , social psychology , political science , law , economics , economic growth , environmental health
Wearable sensor technology enables objective data collection of direct human interactions. The authors review sociometric wearable devices (SWD) and their application in healthcare. Human interactions captured by wearable sensors have been shown to correlate with social constructs such as teamwork and productivity in the office. Application of SWD in the field of healthcare requires special considerations: validation studies have shown technological disadvantages in acute medical settings. Application of SWD in healthcare should be considered based on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology. SWD can also play an important role in investigation of human interaction and epidemic spread. When study designs and methodologies are carefully considered, incorporation of SWD in healthcare research has promising potential for new insights.