Predicting Risk of Heat-Related Injuries for Individuals Wearing Personal Protective Equipment Using Smartwatches: Feasibility Observational Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The risk of developing heat-related illness increases when personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn, especially in hot and humid environments. While cooling strategies are effective, they must be applied preemptively or delivered promptly, which can be difficult if individuals are working in dangerous environments or wearing contaminated PPE. Wearable sensors can be leveraged to continuously monitor health including heart rate, respiration rate, blood oxygen levels, and physical activity.

Objective

This study aims to (1) evaluate the use of wearable sensors for monitoring the real-time health of individuals wearing PPE to mitigate the risk of developing a heat-related illness and enable timely intervention, (2) understand how PPE may affect smartwatch data qual

SUBMITTER: Hegarty-Craver M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12533933 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature