A smart toilet for home monitoring in patients with ulcerative colitis: an exploratory pilot study

Abstract Background Monitoring disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC) is challenging, as current methods rely on subjective reports or invasive procedures. The smart toilet detects toilet visits and non-invasively measures physiological parameters during a toilet visit, offering a potential solution. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a smart toilet for home monitoring of patients with UC during induction therapy. Additionally, we present the first data of physiological monitoring with the smart toilet in patients with UC. Methods In this prospective observational pilot study, patients with UC undergoing treatment initiation or optimization used the smart toilet for eight weeks. Toilet visits and visit types were recorded using a remote button device included in the smart toilet system. Number of visits, type of visit, temperature and heart rate (HR) were extracted. Feasibility was assessed in terms of smart toilet use, data availability and patient experience. Results Eight patients with active UC were included. Seven patients recorded over 100 toilet visits while one patient made little use of the smart toilet, limiting feasibility of functional and physiological measurements. Temperature and HR were available in respectively 64% (53–81%) and 75% (70–81%) of smart toilet visits. Furthermore, we presented the first functional and physiological data recorded with a smart toilet in UC patients. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of a smart toilet for frequent and low-burden home monitoring in UC. Future research should focus on sensor optimization and evaluating clinical utility for disease monitoring, personalized disease management and flare detection.