A Digital Biomarker Dataset in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Longitudinal Study of Caregiver-Patient Dyads (dHCT)

BackgroundHematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially life-saving therapy for individuals with blood diseases, but involves a challenging recovery process that requires dedicated caregivers. The complex interplay between emotional distress, care partner (or unpaid caregiver) burden, and treatment outcomes necessitates comprehensive physiological and psychological measurements to fully understand these dynamics. FindingsWe collected longitudinal data from 166 HCT caregiver-patient dyads over 120 days post-transplant as part of a randomized controlled trial (NCT04094844). Data were gathered using the Fitbit(R) Charge 3 device, a custom mood-reporting app with positive psychology-based activities (Roadmap), PROMIS(R) health measures, and clinical events. The dataset includes minute-level heart rate, daily sleep metrics, step counts, self-reported mood scores, app usage metrics, PROMIS(R) T-scores (i.e. global health, depression), infection and readmission records, and clinical outcomes (e.g., acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, relapse, mortality). Physiological data were available for both caregivers and patients. Data validation confirmed high compliance with mood reporting and the presence of physiological patterns between caregivers and patients that differed (i.e., lower activity in patients compared with caregivers across time). ConclusionsThis dataset offered an unprecedented view into the daily fluctuations of caregiver and patient well-being throughout the critical post-HCT period. It provided a valuable resource for researchers investigating the impact of mHealth app interventions, including emotional distress and physiological markers on treatment course and clinical outcomes. Our unique dataset informs interventions that may address caregiver support, patient care, or dyadic-focused strategies and enable novel analyses of single member or dyadic dynamics in HCT treatment.