AIM: To advance the development and accuracy of the Lifelight® app for the measurement of
vital signs, therefore developing a non-invasive and easy-to-perform means of measuring vital
signs which can be implemented across a wide range of settings, both within hospitals and out
in the community.
METHOD: Lifelight® is a computer program ("app") for measuring vital signs which can be used
on smart devices that contain a camera. It is able to measure all of the vital signs by
measuring very small changes in skin colour that occur each time the heart beats. This means
that it does not need to touch the patient. The investigators believe this could be an
effective way of measuring vital signs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when
prevention of cross-contamination between patients is essential. Patients are also likely to
be reassured by a contactless approach. The app uses data from looking at a person's face to
calculate the vital signs. This is possible because there are tiny changes in facial skin
that occur each time the heart beats.
The investigators believe Lifelight® could be an effective way of measuring vital signs. The
app is still under development, which means that it is still "learning" the best match
between the information it collects from the face and the values of vital signs measured
using the standard equipment. The app should become more accurate in calculating the vital
signs as it sees more and more information from patients.
So far, the app has seen data from inpatients, outpatients, patients attending GP surgeries
and healthy people. This has improved its accuracy in measuring vital signs. However, the app
needs to see more information so that it can be sufficiently accurate for specific clinical
applications such as long-term monitoring of hypertension. To do this, it particularly needs
to see information from people with abnormal blood pressures and blood oxygen levels. In
order to capture the full range of observations, the app will need to be trialled with some
of the most critically ill patients - some of these will not have capacity to consent to
participation in the study. It also needs to see more data from people with different skin
tones so the investigators can be sure it is accurate for all patients.
To do this, the investigators will recruit people who are attending one of two hospitals,
either as an inpatient, an outpatient, a friend/relative of a patient, or a member of
hospital staff. The exact number will depend on how quickly the app "learns" and how many of
the vital signs are outside of the normal range. The investigators will take the
participant's vital signs using standard clinical equipment whilst recording a video of their
face. The investigators will use most of these measurements and video to teach the app how to
become more accurate at measuring vital signs. The investigators will keep the remaining data
separate and use it to test how accurate the app is. All of the data will be kept securely.
The investigators will also collect feedback from participants and healthcare staff on their
experiences using the app and information that allows us to assess whether there are any
savings to the healthcare economy through use of this technology.
