HRV Fit Ltd is inviting you to take part in a project which aims to explore whether changes in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) are related to the timing and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. This information could be used to develop new approaches for detecting and monitoring COVID-19. Taking part involves completing an online questionnaire (taking 10-15 minutes) and submitting your HRV data.
Your personal data will be held securely, and anonymised (meaning you can no longer be identified from the data) within 14 days of when we receive your app data (for full details see ‘How will my information be kept’).
Please take the time to read the information below carefully before you decide to take part. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear, or if you would like more information, by emailing covidstudy@myithlete.com
After taking part, you can choose to receive a report summarising what we found in a previous project to give an example of the work this project is helping to support.
What is the purpose of the project?
This project is a continuation of a previous project which was funded by Innovate UK. We hope to increase the number of people taking part, so that responses can be combined – allowing further data analysis.
The project will explore whether changes in HRV are related to the timing and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. HRV measurement may support early detection of probable COVID-19 cases and enable earlier self-isolation, and/or earlier testing to help prevent the spread of the disease. Intelligence about the severity of the infection could also help individuals to optimise management of the infection progression.
We will use the data to create an anonymised report summarising the findings and an anonymised database (where you would no longer be identifiable). It is our intention that these will be used both for public and commercial purposes by HRV Fit Ltd and commercial and/or research partners, for example to aid further research and to help develop new products that can detect or monitor COVID-19.
Who is able to take part?
You must meet all of the following criteria to be able to take part:
- Be aged 18 or above
- Have had a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 (coronavirus SARS-CoV-2).
- A suspected case is defined as having had one or more symptoms of COVID-19 between November 2019 and now. Symptoms include fever (high temperature or shivering), a dry or productive cough, breathlessness (shortness of breath) altered sense of smell or taste, fatigue (unusual tiredness or lack of energy), muscle ache or pain, a sore throat, loss of appetite or chest tightness. Your symptoms do not need to have been sufficiently severe for you to have sought medical treatment or testing.
- Please note we cannot confirm if your symptoms were due to COVID-19 or not.
- Be able to recall the approximate dates on which your symptoms occurred.
- Be regularly using a system to measure your heart rate variability (HRV)
- You must have been using this for at least 3 weeks before your COVID-19 symptoms started and have made at least 12 recordings.
- You must be able to understand this information sheet and the consent to taking part yourself.
What does taking part involve?
- Completing an online questionnaire about your COVID-19 symptoms.
- Submitting the data from your HRV app
COVID-19 questionnaire
This will take approximately 10-15 minutes.
The questionnaire will ask you to provide the following information:
- Your email – This will be used to match your questionnaire responses to your HRV data. We will also contact you to provide a copy of this information sheet, and our privacy notice. We may also email you for further clarification about your data (for example if it looks like you have made an error, or forgotten to submit your app data). If you have chosen to receive the summary report we email this to you as well. We will not use email addresses provided in questionnaire responses for any other purpose. See ‘How will my information be kept’ below.
- The brand of HRV app and sensor you use.
- Some information about yourself, including factors known to affect COVID-19 risk and severity, such as your age, gender, ethnicity, and some details about your general health. This information is needed so we can account for risk factors that can mean certain people experience worse symptoms than others.
- Whether you have had a test for COVID-19, and the test result.
- Details about any hospital admissions related to your COVID-19 symptoms (if applicable).
- Details about your symptoms of COVID-19, for example, whether you had a fever, cough, loss of taste/smell etc.
Submitting data from your HRV app
How to send your data:
- Check your data
- Some app providers allow you to add free text ‘comments’ when you make your HRV readings. Make sure you have not put anything in these comments that you are not happy to share with HRV Fit Ltd. Most app providers will let you delete/edit these comments should you wish to.
- We will not look at, or use this data, and will delete it as soon as possible.
- Download your data onto your device (phone, tablet or computer)
- How to do this might vary for different apps. Check instructions from your app provider. At the moment, if your app does not have this capability you will not be able to take part. We hope to be able to provide more ways to take part in the future.
- Email your data file to covidstudy@myithlete.com
- For ithlete users, instructions can be found here: https://www.myithlete.com/how-to-send-your-hrv-and-wellness-data-from-ithlete/
Do I have to take part? Can I change my mind and withdraw my data?
Taking part is completely voluntary. It is up to you whether you decide to take part or not. This will not affect you current of future access to products/services provided by HRV Fit Ltd.
Your participation will help further our understanding of the relationship between COVID-19 infection and HRV. This information could be used to develop new approaches to the detection and monitoring of the infection.
You are free to withdraw your data from the project, without giving any reason. To withdraw your data, please email covidstudy@myithlete.com to let us know. You will only be able to withdraw your data up until the point this has been anonymised, meaning you can no longer be identified. Once your data has been anonymised, we will no longer be able to identify that the data belongs to you.
How will my information be kept?
Your data will be kept in accordance with HRV Fit’s privacy policy (https://www.myithlete.com/privacy-policy/), and in compliance with GDPR regulations.
We will not keep any personal data (where you can still be identified) over 14 days after you send us your app data. Thereafter data will only be kept in an anonymised form, meaning you can no longer be identified from the data. Your data will no longer be linked to your email address or any other identifier. Any data identifying you will be removed or changed so that you cannot be identified. We will only keep your personal data for as long as it is needed for the purpose of this project, so we may remove it in less than 14 days.
If you forget to send us your HRV app data after filling in the questionnaire, you will receive a reminder email. If we have not received your app data within 28 days of when you completed the questionnaire, your questionnaire responses will be removed (unless you have contacted us to confirm you are sending it later).
All data will be stored on password protected computers. Except where it has been anonymised, your personal data will only be accessed by HRV Fit Ltd employees and authorised subcontractors.
The data collected about you will be used to create an anonymised report summarising the findings and an anonymous database including the data submitted in the COVID-19 symptom questionnaire and the HRV data. The anonymised data may be used for commercial purposes by HRV Fit Ltd, for example by creating new products or as an add-on to existing products. The anonymous data may also be used by third parties, including those outside of the EU, for public or commercial purposes.