Wearable Technology and Pulse Transit Time (PTT) Used to Assess Workplace Violence Incidents in Nursing

Nurses are exposed to incidents of workplace violence involving patients and their family members, also coworkers. Studies occupational stressors generally rely on subjective self-reports, questionnaires, or biometric biochemical markers in long-cycle time intervals, but such assessments offer little guidance HF/E intervention efforts. This study examined the viability using wearable sensors detect incidents, included measurement pulse transit (PTT) as a biomarker continuous blood pressure. Six nurses were monitored over seven days. The electrocardiogram, PTT, activity level measured custom-designed armband. Participants used wristwatch (Empatica E4) log smartphone survey app rate incident severity. Results show PTT was more reliable indicator than low- high-frequency (LF/LH) ratio heart variability, offering robust way continuously monitor critical events noninvasively long periods demanding work environments.