WearyWatch

According to the CDC, every year, a total of five million people suffer from fibromyalgia in the United States alone. One of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue. The impairments associated with fatigue are distinct from occasional tiredness. Fatigue is a multifactorial condition which requires the usage of subjective and objective measures for diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms of fatigue include unrelenting exhaustion, a constant state of weariness that develops over time, and a general reduction of energy, motivation, and concentration. This often leads to interference with activities of daily living. Current diagnostic methods for fatigue rely on patient recall surveys and thus, the diagnosis of fatigue relies heavily on subjective measures. Selective remembrance of recent fatigue and activity by patients can skew patients’ reported fatigue levels, making subjective reports less reliable, and therefore it is important to incorporate objective measures in fatigue diagnosis. As a result, we have identified a need for a system to assess fatigue that accounts for continuous monitoring of both objective and subjective factors in order to better plan treatment for fatigue.

WearyWatch is a smart wristband device that incorporates continuous measurement of objective aspects of fatigue such as heart rate and activity, while simultaneously collecting patient-reported levels of fatigue. The device is conveniently located on the patient’s wrist and will allow for easy real-time monitoring of fatigue. This data is then compiled and provided to clinicians in a simple graphical format that can be used for better fatigue assessment.

With the aid of WearyWatch, clinicians are able to track trends in patients’ objective and subjective fatigue, allowing them to better assess chronic fatigue and provide better treatment plans for patients.