Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra (Dec 2017)

Measuring Electrodermal Activity to Improve the Identification of Agitation in Individuals with Dementia

  • Catharina Melander,
  • Jesper Martinsson,
  • Silje Gustafsson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1159/000484890
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 3
pp. 430 – 439

Abstract

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Background: Understanding and interpreting the complexity of agitation in people with dementia is challenging. Objective: To explore whether a sensor measuring electrodermal activity (EDA) can improve the identification of agitation in individuals with dementia. Methods: Nine individuals with dementia wore a sensor that measured EDA. During the same time, assistant nurses annotated the observed behavior of the person with dementia. A binary logistic regression model was applied to assess the relationship between the sensor and the assistant nurses’ structured observations of agitation. Results: The sensor values correlated with the assistant nurses’ observations both at the time of the observation and 1 and 2 h prior to the observation. Conclusion: A sensor measuring EDA can support early detection of agitation in persons with dementia.

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