Novel Technology to Capture Objective Data from Patients' Recovery from Laparoscopic Endometriosis Surgery.

Abstract Study Objective To assess the feasibility of a non-contact radio sensor as an objective measurement tool to study postoperative recovery from endometriosis surgery. Design Prospective cohort pilot study. Setting Center for minimally-invasive gynecologic surgery at an academically-affiliated community hospital in conjunction with in-home monitoring. Patients Patients over 18 years old who sleep independently and are scheduled to have laparoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of suspected endometriosis. Interventions A wireless, non-contact sensor, Emerald, was installed in the subjects’ home and used to capture physiological signals without body contact. The device captured objective data about the patients’ movement and sleep in their home for 5 weeks prior to surgery and approximately 5 weeks postoperatively. Subjects were concurrently asked to complete a daily pain assessment using a Numerical Rating System (NRS) and a free-text survey about their daily symptoms. Measurements and Main Results Three women, aged 23-39, with mild to moderate endometriosis participated in the study. Emerald-derived sleep and wake times were contextualized and corroborated by select participant comments from retrospective surveys. Additionally, self-reported pain levels and one sleep variable, sleep onset to deep sleep time, showed a significant (p Conclusion A patient's experience with pain is challenging to meaningfully quantify. This study highlights Emerald's unique ability to capture objective data in both pre-operative functioning and post-operative recovery in an endometriosis population. The utility of this uniquely objective data for the clinician – patient relationship is just beginning to be explored.