Development of the McMaster Cough Monitor (MaCough)

Chronic cough is a persistent daily cough that lasts greater than eight weeks and affects 10% of the general population. It is associated with a significant burden on health and quality of life. In clinical practice, there are very limited tools in order to quantitively monitor cough. Existing products are too expensive and labor intensive, making it impractical for use in day-to-day clinical practice. This project is aimed to create a quantitative way for clinicians to be able to diagnose, assess and monitor cough more efficiently. We are developing a wearable cough monitor that will be lightweight, inexpensive and fully automated with an algorithm aimed to classify coughs from non-cough sounds. Therefore, this project will aid clinicians in diagnosing, monitoring and assessing cough more effectively to allow for better treatment and monitoring of patients. This project will give partner organizations an opportunity to continue to drive innovation and technology development in Canada as being the first fully automated cough monitor used in clinics to help diagnose patients with respiratory diseases.

Faculty Supervisor:

Imran Satia;Qiyin Fang

Student:

Mustafaa Abdul Wahab

Partner:

Incubate Innovate Network of Canada

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University