Ambulatory monitoring of physiology and behavior utilizing the PDA platform

Training prepares civilian first responders and military personnel to handle the many aspects of their mission to the best of their capability. For training to be the most effective, it should be as realistic as possible and elicit the stress response. Stress, however, is not measurable by a simple variable or recording. A stress response measurement requires the collection of physiological, behavioral, neuropsychological, and self report variables simultaneously. These are most valid when recorded or documented in real-time to the stress itself. To facilitate the recording of a stress profile, a hand-held computer platform (HP-IPAQ) was developed. The HP-IPAQ with the PocketPC operating system running Lab VIEW software offers the best flexibility for the interfacing of sensors and physiological amplifiers. The interactive human interface allows for the collection of self-report and other neuropsychological assessments. To test system designs, civilian and military trainees participated in various scenarios. Our system for simultaneous data collection of physiological and behavioral variables shows promise for field applications.