Validation of socialbit as a smartwatch algorithm for social interaction detection in a clinical population.

ABSTRACT: Social interaction supports brain health and recovery after neurological injury. Yet no validated tool exists for real-time measurement in individuals with and without neurological deficits. We developed SocialBit, a lightweight, privacy-preserving machine learning algorithm that detects social interactions using ambient audio features on a commercial smartwatch. In a prospective validation study, we evaluated SocialBit against livestream minute-by-minute human-coded ground truth in 153 hospitalized stroke patients who wore the device for up to 8 days, generating 88,918 min of observation. In these patients, the stroke severity and cognition spanned broad clinical ranges (NIH Stroke Scale 0-25; Montreal Cognitive Assessment 8-30), and 24 patients had aphasia across diverse subtypes, includ

SUBMITTER: Dhand A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12873288 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature