My name is Eric Larson. I’m a graduate student in the Department of Electrical and Engineering at the University of Washington. I am part of a UW research team conducting a research project on mobile phone-based pulmonary (or lung) function measurement.
Testing consists of forcefully blowing through a large tube for about six seconds. You will be asked to blow through a large tube until you have completely expelled all the air from your lungs. This is typically called a peak flow test. You will be asked to perform peak flow test three times using a spirometer and 12 times using a mobile phone. The entire study will last 20 – 30 minutes. You must be above 18 years of age to participate.
We are recording a large database of peak-flow test results using both a traditional method (spirometer) and a mobile phone. We are looking for participants to have their peak flow recorded. The goal of this research is to develop an algorithm to automatically extract pulmonary function measurements from an audio recording using a mobile phone. Current tools require the use of a handheld peak-flow meter or require the patient to use a spirometer at the doctor’s office. This solution will make lung function monitoring a significantly easier task and increase patient compliance so that health professionals can conduct more reliable research on the relation between peak flow and various diagnoses such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis.
The study will take place in the CSE building and on UW campus. To ensure privacy, you will be given the opportunity to review your recordings and delete any sections you want. We will not be recording any speech or identifying characteristics.
If you choose to participate, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $200 (previously 100) amazon gift card. Participants may be invited back for additional recording sessions (each session is an additional entry into the drawing for the gift card).
If you are interested in participating, please go to this link. If the yellow button appears, the spot is still available. NOTE: others cannot see who is signed up for a time slot, only “if” it is available. If you would like more information about the study, please contact us at eclarson@uw.edu. Although we keep e-mails private, please note that we cannot ensure the confidentiality of information sent via e-mail.
Thank you for considering participation in our study.
Eric Larson
Ph.D. Candidate
Dept. of Electrical Engineering
University of Washington