@article{ref1,
title="Implementing a quantified occupational health sensing platform in the aviation sector: an exploratory study in routine air traffic control work shifts",
journal="Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.",
year="2021",
author="Rodrigues, Susana and Dias, Duarte and Aleixo, Marta and Retorta, Antonio and Cunha, João Paulo S.",
volume="2021",
number="",
pages="7162-7165",
abstract="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. <br><br>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/HF (p<0.001). Self-reported data also suggests the same trend (p<0.005). <br><br>FINDINGS reinforced the discriminatory power of AVNN and LF/HF for short-term stress classification using HRV measurements. <br><br>RESULTS suggest that the rotating working system, with pause/resting periods included, effective acted as a recovery period.Clinical Relevance-Results provide important clues to the impact of stress on health, particularly cardiac reactivity and the identification of stress quantitative biomarkers as diagnostic indicators, providing a more reliable source for stress monitoring than currently behavioral or subjective measures. <br><br>FINDINGS will help on the design of stress management programs and prevention actions in order to avoid the negative effects of stress.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2375-7477",
doi="10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630475",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630475"
}