Agreement Between a Smart Ring and Manual Pulse Palpation for Heart Rate Measurement After the Six-Minute Walk Test in Male Hajj Pilgrims: A Cross-Sectional Agreement Study
Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This cross-sectional method-comparison study assessed the agreement between heart rate measured by a smart ring and by manual pulse palpation after the six-minute walk test in Hajj pilgrims, and the consistency of repeated smart-ring readings. The study was conducted at the Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory, East Jakarta, in April 2026. We enrolled 108 healthy male special Hajj pilgrims aged 18–60 years using on-site random sampling. Consistency was assessed in 10 participants, each with 10 consecutive smart-ring readings. Immediately after the six-minute walk test, trained staff recorded heart rate with the smart ring and, at the same time, by palpation of the radial artery for 60 s. We assessed agreement using the paired t-test, Pearson's correlation, and Bland–Altman analysis. The comparator was manual palpation, not electrocardiography. The 10 repeated smart-ring readings were highly consistent as an average (Cronbach's alpha 0.962; intraclass correlation coefficient for average measures 0.959, 95% confidence interval 0.908–0.988; P <0.001), whereas the consistency of a single reading was moderate (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.702). Mean heart rate after the test was 86.42 ± 6.54 beats/min with the smart ring and 86.25 ± 6.68 beats/min with palpation, a mean difference of 0.17 beats/min that was not significant (P = 0.120); the two methods were closely correlated (r = 0.986; P <0.001). The 95% limits of agreement were −2.04 to 2.38 beats/min, within a clinically acceptable margin of ±5 beats/min, with no proportional bias. In healthy male pilgrims, smart-ring heart rate agreed closely with manual palpation, supporting the smart ring as a practical, non-invasive option for fitness screening
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224258861