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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols

Date Submitted: Apr 12, 2021
Date Accepted: May 3, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: May 4, 2021

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Monitoring Health Care Workers at Risk for COVID-19 Using Wearable Sensors and Smartphone Technology: Protocol for an Observational mHealth Study

Clingan CA, Dittakavi M, Rozwadowski M, Gilley KN, Cislo CR, Barabas J, Sandford E, Olesnavich M, Flora C, Tyler J, Mayer C, Stoneman E, Braun T, Forger DB, Tewari M, Choi SW

Monitoring Health Care Workers at Risk for COVID-19 Using Wearable Sensors and Smartphone Technology: Protocol for an Observational mHealth Study

JMIR Res Protoc 2021;10(5):e29562

DOI: 10.2196/29562

PMID: 33945497

PMCID: 8117956

Monitoring health care workers at risk for COVID-19 using wearable sensors and smartphone technology: Protocol for an observational mobile health study

  • Caroline A. Clingan; 
  • Manasa Dittakavi; 
  • Michelle Rozwadowski; 
  • Kristen N. Gilley; 
  • Christine R. Cislo; 
  • Jenny Barabas; 
  • Erin Sandford; 
  • Mary Olesnavich; 
  • Christopher Flora; 
  • Jonathan Tyler; 
  • Caleb Mayer; 
  • Emily Stoneman; 
  • Thomas Braun; 
  • Daniel B. Forger; 
  • Muneesh Tewari; 
  • Sung Won Choi

ABSTRACT

Background:

Health care workers (HCWs) have been working in the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic with high risks of viral exposure, infection, and transmission. Standard COVID-19 testing is insufficient to protect HCWs from these risks and prevent the spread of disease. Continuous monitoring of physiological data with wearable sensors, self-monitoring of symptoms, and asymptomatic COVID testing may aid in the early detection of COVID-19 in HCWs and may help reduce further transmission among HCWs, patients, and families.

Objective:

By using wearable sensors, smartphone-based symptom logging, and biospecimens, this project aimed to assist HCWs in self-monitoring of COVID-19.

Methods:

We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of HCWs at a single institution. Study duration was one year, wherein participants were instructed on the continuous use of two wearable sensors (Fitbit Charge 3 smartwatch and TempTraq temperature patches) for up to 30-days. Participants consented to providing biospecimens (e.g., nasal swabs, saliva swabs, blood) for up to one year from study entry. Using a smartphone app called Roadmap 2.0, participants entered a daily mood score, submitted daily COVID-19 symptoms, and completed demographic and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) surveys at study entry and 30 days later. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were also conducted at the end of the 30-day period, following completion of daily mood and symptoms reporting as well as continuous wearable sensor use.

Results:

Two hundred twenty-six HCWs were enrolled between April 28, 2020 and December 07, 2020. The last participant completed the 30-day study procedures on January 16, 2021. Data collection will continue through January 2023, and data analyses are ongoing.

Conclusions:

Using wearable sensors, smartphone-based symptom logging and survey completion, and biospecimen collections, this study will potentially provide data on the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among HCWs at a single institution. The study will also assess the feasibility of leveraging wearable sensors and self-monitoring of symptoms in a HCW population. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT04756869


 Citation

Please cite as:

Clingan CA, Dittakavi M, Rozwadowski M, Gilley KN, Cislo CR, Barabas J, Sandford E, Olesnavich M, Flora C, Tyler J, Mayer C, Stoneman E, Braun T, Forger DB, Tewari M, Choi SW

Monitoring Health Care Workers at Risk for COVID-19 Using Wearable Sensors and Smartphone Technology: Protocol for an Observational mHealth Study

JMIR Res Protoc 2021;10(5):e29562

DOI: 10.2196/29562

PMID: 33945497

PMCID: 8117956

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