Implementing a Quantified Occupational Health Sensing Platform in the Aviation Sector: an Exploratory Study in Routine Air Traffic Control Work Shifts

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2021

Authors

Rodrigues, S (Author) Other; Dias, D (Author) Other; Aleixo, M (Author) Other; Retorta, A (Author) Other; Cunha, JPS (Author) FEUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: 43rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society, EMBC 2021, Mexico, November 1-5, 2021

Pages: 7162-7165

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-V1D

DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630475

Abstract (EN): Occupational stress is a complex process affecting health and performance. Air Traffic Control is a complex and demanding profession. The current study demonstrates the concept of using a biomonitoring wearable platform (BWP), that combines self-report measures with biomarkers, to track stress among Air Traffic Controllers. A wearable ECG device was used to gather continuously medical-grade ECG data along with a mobile app for daily stress perception, symptoms and events annotation. A total of 256 hours of data from 32 routine work shifts and 5 days-off, from 5 ATCs was recorded with 35 tagged events using Heart Rate Variability metrics- AVNN, RMSSD, pNN50 and LF/HF were computed from ECG data and analyzed during a) shifts vs days off; b) events vs non-events and c) before and after working pauses. ATCs showed low levels of chronic stress using self-reports. Results showed that stress symptomatology slightly increase from the beginning to the end of the shift (Md=1 to Md=2; p<0.05). Statistical significant physiological changes were found between shifts and days off for AVNN and LF/HF (p<0.05), showing higher physiological activation during shifts. A significant reduction of physiological arousal was verified after working pauses, particularly for AVNN and LF/IIF (p<0.001). Self-reported data also suggests the same trend (p<0.005). Findings reinforced the discriminatory power of AVNN and LF/HF for short-term stress classification using HRV measurements. Results suggest that the rotating working system, with pause/resting periods included, effective acted as a recovery period.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 4