British study: New algorithm may allow ordinary wearable devices to detect new coronary pneumonia [full text]

Network Security Technology Exhibition dynamic Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Center (BRC) funded researchers have created MassScience application program that allows participants to COVID-Collab research can be connected wearable devices, such as Fitbit devices and share data including heart rate, activity and sleep. Participants can also use the app to provide information about geographic location, mood and mental health, as well as information on symptoms and diagnosis of COVID-19 (if they test positive for the disease).

When participants report feeling unwell or test positive for new coronary pneumonia, researchers at King’s College London will analyze data including the participants’ heart rate and activity. By looking for data differences between the period of illness and normal health of participants, the researchers aim to develop a potential digital test for early warning signs of the new coronavirus. If Fitbit users have been ill or diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia in the past, they can use this test software to share historical data during their illness.

The more people can be recruited for COVID-Collab research, the better the ability of researchers to understand some key scientific issues. These issues include:

How accurate is the wearable device as a digital detection method for new coronary pneumonia and other respiratory diseases? Can automatic monitoring of disease symptoms help track the disease in national or local hot spots?

Which symptoms are important? Which are reliable early predictors of infection?

How contagious is the virus? In the UK, how will different social distancing measures affect the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic?

To what extent does social distance affect people's emotions and cause stress?

Can we use wearable data to identify new coronary pneumonia infections before people develop symptoms?

Early studies have shown that resting heart rate data and other key health indicators from wearable devices may diagnose flu-like illnesses for patients before they develop symptoms. When APP reports that a participant has tested positive for new coronary pneumonia or has known symptoms, COVID-Collab researchers will analyze the participant's heart rate, activity data, and location data to find signs of disease.

If this research can verify a reliable signal, then through further development, this may form the basis of a continuous monitoring system that can be used to detect early symptoms (including resting) of viruses such as new coronaviruses. Send them an alert when the heart rate rises. This will be a very meaningful tool and can help prevent the spread of the virus.

Dr. Amos Folarin, the head of the research and the software development team leader of the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Center, said: “Due to the lack of information about people infected in the population, especially information about asymptomatic infections, we are studying how to use data from wearable devices to detect the new crown. Pneumonia. Having a cheap, persistent digital test for infection may change the situation."

When the app shows that you are experiencing symptoms, we will be able to view your data before, during and after that and compare it with your baseline health data.

In the case of careful lifting of blockades across the UK, passive monitoring of symptoms combined with mobile data may be very useful. With the reopening of shops, schools and other businesses, we expect population movements will increase in general, and a second wave of COVID-19 may occur. "

Professor Richard Dobson, Director of the Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics at NIHRMaudsleyBRC, said: “There are more than 8 million users in the UK who regularly wear wearable devices. The data generated by these devices is useful for helping us understand the incidence and Disease trajectories, as well as providing regional disease monitoring and support for safe lifting of bans may be very meaningful.

This is a very important project, based on our previous and current experience in remote monitoring of diseases and mental health, as well as the development of our open source platform. "

Earlier this year, Fitbit announced a cooperation plan to support research that uses data from wearable devices (such as Fitbit devices) to help detect, track, and contain infectious diseases such as new coronary pneumonia. The plan brings together research that is already in progress, including the DETECT study at the Scripps Translational Institute [detectstudy.org] and the COVID-19 wearable device study at the Stanford Medical Innovation Laboratory [innovations.stanford.edu]. On the basis of these partnerships, Fitbit also launched its own new coronary pneumonia research to help Fitbit determine whether it can build an algorithm to detect new coronary pneumonia before patients start to develop symptoms.

Nicola Maxwell, Head of Fitbit Health Solutions for EMEA, said: “Fitbit’s mission to help people become healthier has never been more important in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen early evidence from Fitbit’s COVID-19 research. , Proving that data from wearable devices may become a powerful public health tool to help identify people with viral diseases such as new coronary pneumonia. The MassScience mobile app developed by King’s College London has the potential to leverage the power of the community and it can explore Fitbit How such wearable devices will expand our understanding of COVID-19 and how this disease will affect people’s health.”