Application of a Continuous Temperature Monitoring System among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective Cohort Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Healthcare workers (HCWs) are recommended to measure their body temperature every 8 hours to reduce the risk of cross infections during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan. However, temperature reporting accuracy among HCWs is difficult to attain due to busy working schedules and high chances of human errors. OBJECTIVE This study describes the application of a continuous temperature monitoring system (HEARThermo Care AI.) based on the Internet of Things (IoT) among HCWs in hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS A prospective cohort study was conducted among HCWs in a major tertiary hospital in southern Taiwan. HCWs participated in this study wore HEARThermo, an innovative wearable device used to measure body surface temperature and heart rate every 10s, to continue monitoring their body surface temperature and heart rate during working hours. The HEARThermo Care AI. system combined with the routine body temperature measurement flow were used to automatedly notify the manager about the HCWs with fever risks. The completion rate of body temperature measurements was calculated as the number of HCWs using the continuous temperature monitoring system divided by the number of HCWs on duty. RESULTS A total of 52 HCWs (medical doctors, nurses, and interns) working in the medical ward between April 22 and June 30, 2020, voluntarily participated. The completion rate of body temperature measurements increased from 77.7% to 85% among HCWs in hospitals using HEARThermo Care AI. system. All the HCWs who received warning messages were reconfirmed by their managers and found they had discomforts at that time. CONCLUSIONS The application of the continuous temperature monitoring system serves as a solution to early identify HCWs suspected of having discomforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.