Kent sports scientist, Professor John Dickinson, is co-developing an app that can transform a smartphone into a low-cost, non-invasive screening device for early respiratory disease detection to save lives and relieve diagnostics pressures on the NHS.
By utilising AI technology to measure both a person’s chest motion and breathing sounds to understand their breathing pattern, the app will give users the ability to detect abnormal breathing patterns in real time, without the need for internet access or clinical equipment.
The 2.5 year project, led by Professor Liangxiu Han from Manchester Metropolitan University, is a response to indications that one in four people in the UK wait over a year for diagnosis of respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These are amongst the most common and preventable causes of illness and death globally, affecting over 8 million people in the UK, yet many, especially in low-income, rural and ethnic minority communities, face such delays, contributing to worsening health, increased hospitalisations and rising NHS costs.
Unlike current methods for diagnosing respiratory problems which rely on trained staff in clinical settings, the mobile-first approach will enable patients to accurately detect abnormal breathing patterns at home and in community settings before consulting their GP.
‘Your breathing sounds will be captured through your phone’s microphone – things like how many breaths you’re taking per minute, how fast your ribcage moves when you breathe in or out and whether you’re making audible wheezing sounds,’ explains Professor Dickinson, a leading authority on exercise-related respiratory dysfunction based in the School of Natural Sciences. ‘Your chest movements can be tracked using your phone’s motion sensors. All you need to do is lie down and place your phone on your chest.
‘The app then combines both of these things and lets you know what’s happening in your lungs. If any abnormalities are detected, it recommends you contact your doctor. It also stores data about your breathing over time, meaning you can share these patterns with other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
‘This app could help people feel more confident in how they’re breathing, empower them to monitor their lung health at home and know when to go and see their GP. This could help ease the pressure on the NHS by reducing the number of people who need to go to hospital for breathing tests or in emergencies.’
To develop the app, University researchers at Kent, Manchester Metropolitan and Oxford are working in partnership with Asthma + Lung UK, NHS partners, NIHR HealthTech Research Centre and ORB for Health. Together, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), they will draw on the experiences of patients, clinicians, community partners, industry and policymakers to ensure it reflects real-world needs.