EaseAlert: Tactile Firefighter Alerting System
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05641194 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : December 7, 2022
Last Update Posted : February 20, 2024
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Sponsor:
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Collaborator:
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Joel Billings, Ph.D., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Tracking Information | |||||
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First Submitted Date ICMJE | October 28, 2022 | ||||
First Posted Date ICMJE | December 7, 2022 | ||||
Last Update Posted Date | February 20, 2024 | ||||
Actual Study Start Date ICMJE | August 26, 2023 | ||||
Estimated Primary Completion Date | May 1, 2024 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) | ||||
Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
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Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
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Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
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Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
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Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures | Not Provided | ||||
Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures | Not Provided | ||||
Descriptive Information | |||||
Brief Title ICMJE | EaseAlert: Tactile Firefighter Alerting System | ||||
Official Title ICMJE | EaseAlert: Tactile Firefighter Alerting System Designed to Reduce Negative Cardiovascular Outcomes and Sleep Disturbances | ||||
Brief Summary | The purpose of this research is to test a commercially viable Fire Fighter Altering System (FFAS) comprised of proprietary wearables and optional bed shakers called BunkAlerts; collectively "personal alerting devices" as an alternative approach to the traditional fire alarm system used in fire stations. Participants (fire fighters) will be asked to take part in the study to investigate the impact of the new FFAS on cardiovascular response and sleep. This study includes three phases: 1) baseline, 2) implementation of EaseAlert FFAS with traditional alarm, and 3) implementation of EaseAlert FFAS without traditional alarm. Participants will be asked to wear an Actigraph wGT3x-BT and Polar H10 device to record sleep and heart rate data for 12 days at work in addition to EaseAlert FFAS device for 8 out of the 12 days at work. They will also be asked to complete a questionnaire and complete daily journal entries. | ||||
Detailed Description | Sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been the leading cause of on-duty death (ODD) in the fire service over the past several decades, accounting for 51.6% of all ODDs in 2019. The primary factors that contribute to SCD among firefighters are overexertion and stress, and SCD is most likely to occur during fire suppression and alarm response. When an emergency occurs, firefighters are alerted/awoken by loud mechanical bells. This high noise level may induce a stress response triggering a cardiovascular event. In fact, "high levels of environmental noise fuel cardiac risk" by stimulating the amygdala and inflaming the arteries. While other companies have attempted to modernize alerting systems, they failed to address the problem of stressful alarms because they focus on alerting "stations" not individual firefighters. A significant need exists to develop a less stressful alerting system for firefighters. The objective of this SBIR Phase I R43 research study is to develop a commercially viable Fire Fighter Alerting System (FFAS) comprised of proprietary wearables and optional bed shakers called BunkAlerts. Collectively "personal alerting devices," the wearables and BunkAlerts enhance the alerting process for firefighters by replacing jarring audible alarms with tactile alerts delivered to the firefighter's wrist. This alternative approach is designed to significantly decrease tachycardic responses associated with legacy alerting systems. Meeting this need has the potential to reduce firefighter ODDs and improve the quality of life for the 15.4 million firefighters around the world. The feasibility of EaseAlert's FFAS is reinforced by preliminary data collected during field testing with six (6) fire departments in three (3) states where EaseAlert's prototype FFAS ("Gen 1") successfully delivered over 10,000 alerts to firefighters called to an emergency with no calls missed. The potential for the FFAS to reduce stress and SCD risk among firefighters is supported by preliminary data which shows that: 1) noise triggers a startle response and 2) tactile alerts are associated with positive valence and high arousal. The proposed research will be accomplished with two aims: Aim 1 - develop a commercially viable FFAS and Aim 2 - determine the effectiveness of the FFAS in reducing cardiac reactivity and improving sleep. EaseAlert will leverage the Gen 1 FFAS as a foundation for developing its Gen 2 FFAS outlined in Aim 1. Aim 2 will test two study hypotheses in a within-subjects pilot clinical trial design: (H2.1) that EaseAlert will result in a significant reduction in the stress response to alarms compared to traditional auditory alerting systems, and (H2.2) EaseAlert will result in a significant improvement in sleep efficiency. | ||||
Study Type ICMJE | Interventional | ||||
Study Phase ICMJE | Not Applicable | ||||
Study Design ICMJE | Allocation: N/A Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment Intervention Model Description:
Primary Purpose: Basic Science |
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Condition ICMJE |
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Intervention ICMJE |
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Study Arms ICMJE | Experimental: Single arm - intervention
Interventions:
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Publications * | Not Provided | ||||
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline. |
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Recruitment Information | |||||
Recruitment Status ICMJE | Recruiting | ||||
Estimated Enrollment ICMJE |
48 | ||||
Original Estimated Enrollment ICMJE | Same as current | ||||
Estimated Study Completion Date ICMJE | June 1, 2024 | ||||
Estimated Primary Completion Date | May 1, 2024 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) | ||||
Eligibility Criteria ICMJE | Inclusion Criteria: - Participants must meet the following inclusion criteria:
Inclusion criteria for departments will include, but not be limited to:
Exclusion Criteria:
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Sex/Gender ICMJE |
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Ages ICMJE | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) | ||||
Accepts Healthy Volunteers ICMJE | Yes | ||||
Contacts ICMJE |
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Listed Location Countries ICMJE | United States | ||||
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Administrative Information | |||||
NCT Number ICMJE | NCT05641194 | ||||
Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE | 22-131 | ||||
Has Data Monitoring Committee | No | ||||
U.S. FDA-regulated Product |
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IPD Sharing Statement ICMJE |
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Current Responsible Party | Joel Billings, Ph.D., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | ||||
Original Responsible Party | Same as current | ||||
Current Study Sponsor ICMJE | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | ||||
Original Study Sponsor ICMJE | Same as current | ||||
Collaborators ICMJE | National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. | ||||
Investigators ICMJE |
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PRS Account | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | ||||
Verification Date | February 2024 | ||||
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP |