Vital Insights: How Radar-Based Monitoring Can Enhance Symptom Management in Palliative Care

ContextPalliative care prioritizes patients quality of life with symptom management, personal care, and minimal technology use to respect privacy. However, assessing symptoms, particularly for patients near the end of life who often are unable to communicate, mostly depends on observation by healthcare providers, which may lack completeness and objectivity. ObjectivesNon-invasive radar-based monitoring of heart rate (HR) and respiration rate (RR) offers potential for detecting symptoms without compromising palliative care principles. MethodsWe used a multi-radar system placed under patients mattresses to continuously monitor HRs and RRs in a palliative care ward by tracking body surface movement. Data on symptom burden, including timing and severity, were collected via patient self-reports (MIDOS2) and staff observations (HOPE). The relationship between radar-derived vital signs and distress-related symptom burden changes over hours, as well as medication effects following their peak impact, was analyzed using various statistical methods. ResultsOur findings show that HR and RR increase over the course of hours during symptom exacerbation (HR: +2.8 bpm, RR: +0.7 brpm) and decrease with amelioration (HR: -1.8 bpm, RR: -0.2 brpm), with a significant relationship observed between HR and symptom exacerbation (p=0.002). Additionally, HR trends suggested variability potentially related to medication effects, warranting further study. ConclusionRadar-based monitoring holds promise for burden-free vital sign monitoring in palliative care and assisting healthcare professionals in symptom detection. However, physical activity and environmental factors may affect measurements and medication effects require further investigation. Additional research is needed to refine this technology for clinical use.