Comparing Cough Counting Methods
Author Information
Author(s): Jaclyn A Smith, John E Earis, Ashley A Woodcock
Primary Institution: North West Lung Research Centre, South Manchester University Hospitals Trust
Hypothesis
Is manual cough counting from video recordings necessary to accurately count coughs compared to digital audio recordings?
Conclusion
Manual counting of cough sounds from digital audio recordings has excellent agreement with simultaneous video recordings in laboratory conditions.
Supporting Evidence
- The median cough frequency was similar between video and audio recordings.
- Digital audio recordings required less time for analysis compared to video.
- There was excellent agreement between the two methods of cough counting.
Takeaway
This study looked at two ways to count coughs: one using video and the other using audio. They found that both methods worked really well together.
Methodology
Eight patients with chronic cough were recorded overnight using both video and digital audio, and coughs were counted manually by a trained observer.
Potential Biases
The same individual counted all coughs, which could introduce bias if they remembered the recordings.
Limitations
Cough recordings were only performed overnight, which may not represent daytime cough counts accurately.
Participant Demographics
Mean age 55 years, 3 men, with diagnoses including asthma, rhinitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, and idiopathic cough.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% limits of agreement -1.5 to +0.9 coughs per hour
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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