Gussuri

Digitizing Sleep Records: "Gussuri”

The Challenge of Citizen Science and Civic Tech

"Gussuri" is a project born from a citizen science approach, initiated through the podcast "Bakusui Radio," which provides insights into sleep and mental health. The podcast is a collaborative effort involving the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Code for Japan, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Fukushima Medical University, Chuo University, Toyama University, and various experts, researchers, and stakeholders in sleep and mental health.

What is a Sleep Record?

A sleep record is a sheet where individuals log the times they go to bed, fall asleep, wake up, and get out of bed. It also includes notes on any interruptions in sleep or daytime naps. By recording these details for one to two weeks, individuals can better understand their sleep patterns and issues, which can be useful during medical consultations.

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center at NCNP has been working on making global standard sleep record sheets more "visible" and "easy to write" by improving the design and color variations to encourage users' actions.

NCNP Sleep Record Sheet: Link

Digitizing Sleep Records

The idea for "Gussuri" emerged from "Bakusui Radio," where experts in cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep, along with engineers and designers who face sleep issues, discussed the challenges of sleep. During these discussions, participants highlighted the inconvenience of recording sleep on paper and bringing it to consultations. This led to the idea of digitizing the sleep record sheet and developing an app to simplify recording and sharing sleep data.

Bakusui Radio: Link

In collaboration with Dr. Shun Nakajima (MD, Certified Psychologist, NCNP), Mari Inoue (Certified Psychologist, NCNP), and other experts, the project team developed "Gussuri." The app aims to make it easier for users to record their sleep patterns and share data with healthcare providers. The project was unveiled on World Sleep Day (March 17, 2023), with the app being released the following year on World Sleep Day (March 17, 2024).

Gussuri App: Link

Gussuri Project Page: Link

What We Can Do in Public Health and Healthcare

According to a 2021 OECD survey, the average sleep duration for Japanese people is 7 hours and 22 minutes, the lowest among 33 countries, and over an hour less than the overall average (8 hours and 27 minutes). Sleep deprivation in Japan leads to an economic loss of 15 trillion yen, impacting work efficiency and mental health, as well as children's brain development. While 18.6 million people in Japan experience insomnia, only 5.9 million receive treatment. Many are reluctant to visit psychiatrists or take sleep medication.

Instead of offering support measures, this project aims to provide a digital sleep record sheet for self-monitoring. It allows users to track their sleep patterns and duration, helping them understand their sleep habits and prepare for consultations with healthcare providers.

Reference: Gender Data Portal 2021 Link

Creating Personal Health Records by Citizens for Citizens

Focusing on sleep, a crucial factor in "well-being," the project aims to digitize the currently paper-based sleep record sheets. This allows individuals to easily record their sleep data on their devices and share it with experts or family members as needed. The project envisions a future where citizens actively create and use their health records, contributing to organizational and community health discussions.

Sleep affects the health and welfare of all age groups, from children's development to work efficiency and dementia prevention in the elderly. By developing "Gussuri," the project aims to provide a case study of citizens creating and utilizing Personal Health Records (PHR).

From Self-Monitoring to Improved Sleep Habits and Professional Consultations

The newly developed app enables easy input of sleep records from smartphones. Users can review their sleep patterns and habits and bring this data to consultations with specialists.

Open-Source Development Through Civic Tech

The "Gussuri" project involves collaboration between experts like Dr. Nakajima and Ms. Inoue and contributions from engineers and designers in the Code for Japan civic tech community. The project continues to evolve through development events such as "Social Hack Day." At the Facing the Ocean event in Jeju Island in 2023, participants from g0v Taiwan and Code for Korea contributed to multilingual support in English, Taiwanese Mandarin, and Korean.

Social Hack Day Event Information: Link

Facing the Ocean Report: Link

The "Gussuri" project releases its source code under the MIT License, allowing for commercial use. It aims to collaborate with various stakeholders, including clinical experts, researchers seeking experimental cooperation, and local governments interested in visualizing community health and well-being. Please review the usage terms when using the source code.

Sessions at Code for Japan Summit

The project has been presented at academic and civic tech conferences, sharing insights from the podcast and app development process.

2022 Session: "Considering Digital and Well-being with Citizens, Researchers, and Technologists (Open Science Case Study)": Link

2022 Session: "The Potential of Citizen Science and Civic Tech": Link

Symposium Discussions

47th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Yumi Miyazaki, Mari Inoue, Nanako Nakamura, Shun Nakajima, Mami Takesada, Yoshihiko Kunisato, Ayuri Tanaka: "What Does Co-creation and Open Science Bring to Us?"

22nd Annual Convention of the Japanese Association for Cognitive Therapy (Symposium)

Shun Nakajima, Mari Inoue, Toshiatsu Taniguchi, Mami Takesada, Yasutaka Ojio, Akina Noguchi, Fumiyo Oshima, Ayuki Joto: "Collaboration among Citizens, Patients, and Various Experts to Achieve Inclusive Support"

Link

22nd Annual Convention of the Japanese Association for Cognitive Therapy (Poster Presentation)

Development of a User-Friendly Sleep Record Application by Citizens, Patients, and Medical Experts

Join the Gussuri Project

The development of "Gussuri" continues, with ongoing improvements and feature additions. If interested, join the conversation on Code for Japan's Slack in the #proj-gussuri channel. For those not yet part of Code for Japan's Slack, check the community page for participation details.