key: cord-1049807-a12247dv
authors: Chung, Yi-Ting; Yeh, Chun-Yin; Shu, Yu-Chen; Chuang, Kun-Ta; Chen, Chang Chun; Ko, Wen-Chien; Chen, Po-Lin; Ko, Nai-Ying
title: Continuous temperature monitoring by a wearable device for early detection of febrile events in the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Taiwan, 2020
date: 2020-04-13
journal: J Microbiol Immunol Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2020.04.005
sha: 212740489274fb7f1a36f05862a97e875dfd4a43
doc_id: 1049807
cord_uid: a12247dv

nan

The recent ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 1 was declared as a public health emergency of international concern and pandemic by the World Health Organization. The outbreak of COVID-19 at least involved 181 regions/countries and 896,450 confirmed cases as of April 2 nd , 2020 and 45,526 deaths to date 2 . As of April 3 rd , there were 339 confirmed cases (included 5 death) in Taiwan. Taiwan focus concurrently on containing spread of this virus in the communities, including 827 people in isolation and over 64,000 in quarantine.

Thermal screening for all visitors at the entrance of hospital buildings has become a standard protocol in Taiwan to response since the SARS epidemic. 3 Among patients with pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), fever was a common symptom, 47.4%-100%. 1,4 Body temperature measurements once daily for healthcare workers and twice daily for people in isolation or quarantine are important measures to reduce the risk of cross infections. However, the use of ear or forehead thermometers has the risk of close contact.

The HEARThermo, a watch-like wearable device, can measure body surface temperature and heart rate every 10 seconds with good test-retest reliability and adequate criterion validity. 5 We provided the HEARThermo to continuously monitor body surface temperature and heart rate to trigger the reminders sent by chatbots. The warning messages reminded further measurements by ear thermometers. A total of 149 healthcare professionals, 75 suspected/confirmed patients and 63 college students in quarantine wear the HEARThermo. The data efficiency retrieved by the HEARThermo ranged from 33-70%, and suspected patients retrieved highest data (70%), followed by healthcare professionals (45%). Only three healthcare professional and nine patients had fever. Body surface temperature of the patient on January 25, 2020 was shown in figure 1. The HEARThermo, as a wearable physiological monitor for remotely monitoring the health status of people under risk of infection, provides real-time data and decision support for healthcare providers and public health agencies. Our data suggest the application the innovative wearable device in continuous monitoring of body temperature with heart rate variation may be a solution in provision of early detection and point-of-care for suspected cases, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19): the epidemic and the challenges

SARS in healthcare facilities

Clinical course and outcomes of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in Wuhan, China

Development and validation of wearable devices used for continuous monitoring of body surface temperature