COVID-19 has stretched the abilities of modern medicine to control and defeat the rapid spread of disease. Innovation has been pressed to the fullest with technology not only being used to help control the pandemic, but to also change how infectious diseases are handled in the future. In fact, many of the technologies we use in other aspects of our lives are now being utilized for the first time to help stop the spread.
Here are some reassuring ways technology is making an impact on the spread and treatment of COVID-19:
Predicting outcomes using big data and AI
Staying ahead of diseases such as COVID-19 starts with analytics. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government agencies to learn from this pandemic, helping to create new knowledge quickly from the millions of data points that are generated. Syndromic surveillance can help these organizations detect individual and population health indicators before confirmed diagnoses are made.
In fact, predictive analytics can also be applied to data from hospitals, airports and other public places to help us foresee disease spread and risk. Hospitals could benefit from this data by being able to plan in advance for the impact of an outbreak on their operations, rescheduling elective surgeries and ensuring they have what they need to care for infected patients.
Revealing disease with heat detection technology
In some places, such as China, AI-powered smart glasses are being worn by security officers at airports to automatically detect potentially sick travelers with elevated temperatures. According to the company that makes them, these glasses are able to check the temperature of several hundred people in just two minutes. However, the devices measure skin temperature, which isn’t always the same as core body temperature, the indicator of a fever. But they are a good first step when it comes to surveilling for potential disease and providing the public with a measure of reassurance that authorities are taking action.
Monitoring vitals by repurposing wearables
In this time when some hospitals are having to expand to convention centers and cafeterias to care for the influx of COVID-19 patients, medical staff have found they need to be resourceful. Because some field beds in these temporary spaces weren’t equipped for monitoring vitals and worsening symptoms such as fever, a new telemedicine device has been implemented. The Masimo SafetyNet is a wearable similar to a wristwatch with a disposable fingertip attachment, originally approved as a tool to remotely monitor patients recovering from opioid overdoses. Now, in order to better manage this pandemic, hospitals are providing admitted patients or those sent home with this device to monitor their pulse, breathing, and blood oxygen levels. If shallow breathing or slow or accelerated pulse is detected, the device alerts caregivers and medical staff.
Enlisting robots to protect people
Social distancing is essential when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19, yet medical professionals on the front lines are forced to remain close to this disease. However, when robots can step in for humans and help care for patients, doctors and medical staff are protected. Robots can roam rooms to disinfect surfaces with UV light, and deliver supplies. A robot named “Tug” is already doing this at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center at Mission Bay. In fact, a fleet of “Tugs” are shuffling around the halls of UCSF delivering drugs, clean linens, and meals while carting away medical waste, soiled sheets, and trash.
Bringing experts to the front lines, without risk
Fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology powers considerably faster communications and has the potential to bring the top minds in medicine to the front lines of an outbreak without any risk of exposure. It could also help give people in rural areas easy access to important health care services via telemedicine.
Reducing disease spread with virtual visits
Telemedicine connects patients with doctors, either by video or phone, right from the comfort of their homes. This ability to have a virtual visit instead of in-person is especially important during these times of social distancing. It keeps those with moderate symptoms at home while routing more severe cases to hospitals, reducing the strain on our health care system. What’s more, it can help improve health care for the 65+ age group, by making it more accessible and saving them from traveling to a health facility. For information on how to access care and telemedicine services, visit our website.
These are just a few examples of how technology is already helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other potentially infectious diseases. It will continue to make a profound impact on how we fight outbreaks and save lives in the future.