COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices

Background Infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 require strategies to contain outbreaks, particularly in hospitals where the spread of infection is most likely. Biometric monitoring of heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturations and sleep might provide important early warning signs for SARS-CoV-2. T...

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Main Authors: Anne Greenough, Abdel Douiri, Gaia Nebbia, Kariem El-Boghdadly, Rayka Malek, Alexander Zargaran, Sara Sousi, Gary Colville, Gill Radcliffe, Rocio T Martinez Nunez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-04-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e089598.full
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author Anne Greenough
Abdel Douiri
Gaia Nebbia
Kariem El-Boghdadly
Rayka Malek
Alexander Zargaran
Sara Sousi
Gary Colville
Gill Radcliffe
Rocio T Martinez Nunez
author_facet Anne Greenough
Abdel Douiri
Gaia Nebbia
Kariem El-Boghdadly
Rayka Malek
Alexander Zargaran
Sara Sousi
Gary Colville
Gill Radcliffe
Rocio T Martinez Nunez
author_sort Anne Greenough
collection DOAJ
description Background Infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 require strategies to contain outbreaks, particularly in hospitals where the spread of infection is most likely. Biometric monitoring of heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturations and sleep might provide important early warning signs for SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to determine whether a smart medical device (E4 wristband) and a pulse oximeter used to continuously measure heart rate, skin temperature and oxygen saturation would predict the onset of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods A single-centre, prospective observational cohort of 30 healthcare workers (HCWs) working in areas at high risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled. HCWs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-qPCR of daily self-administered swabs for 30 days. Each participant was asked to wear an E4 wristband to measure changes in their heart rate, skin temperature and sleep throughout the study.Results Nine (30%) HCWs (median (range) age of 39 (27–57) years) tested positive for COVID-19. No significant differences were found in the pre-infection and post-infection variations in the heart rate (p=0.31) or skin temperature (p=0.44). Seven of the nine positive subjects reported symptoms at some point during the study period: unusual fatigue (40%), headache (33%) and runny nose (22%) were the most frequent. Analysis of daily trends in observations demonstrated significant fluctuations in biometric parameters.Conclusion These results suggest that wearable technology might be useful in documenting signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection in exposed HCWs.Trial registration number NCT04363489.
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spelling doaj-art-bdf87d70957842b89cfdb9643b8d6dab2025-08-20T03:52:20ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-04-0115410.1136/bmjopen-2024-089598COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devicesAnne Greenough0Abdel Douiri1Gaia Nebbia2Kariem El-Boghdadly3Rayka Malek4Alexander Zargaran5Sara Sousi6Gary Colville7Gill Radcliffe8Rocio T Martinez Nunez91 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK1 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK3 Department of Infection, Guy’s & St Thomas NHS Trust, London, UK1 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK1 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK1 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK1 King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UK2 Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Guy`s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK2 Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Guy`s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK4 Department of Infectious Diseases, King`s College London - Guy’s Campus, London, UKBackground Infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 require strategies to contain outbreaks, particularly in hospitals where the spread of infection is most likely. Biometric monitoring of heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturations and sleep might provide important early warning signs for SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to determine whether a smart medical device (E4 wristband) and a pulse oximeter used to continuously measure heart rate, skin temperature and oxygen saturation would predict the onset of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods A single-centre, prospective observational cohort of 30 healthcare workers (HCWs) working in areas at high risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled. HCWs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-qPCR of daily self-administered swabs for 30 days. Each participant was asked to wear an E4 wristband to measure changes in their heart rate, skin temperature and sleep throughout the study.Results Nine (30%) HCWs (median (range) age of 39 (27–57) years) tested positive for COVID-19. No significant differences were found in the pre-infection and post-infection variations in the heart rate (p=0.31) or skin temperature (p=0.44). Seven of the nine positive subjects reported symptoms at some point during the study period: unusual fatigue (40%), headache (33%) and runny nose (22%) were the most frequent. Analysis of daily trends in observations demonstrated significant fluctuations in biometric parameters.Conclusion These results suggest that wearable technology might be useful in documenting signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection in exposed HCWs.Trial registration number NCT04363489.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e089598.full
spellingShingle Anne Greenough
Abdel Douiri
Gaia Nebbia
Kariem El-Boghdadly
Rayka Malek
Alexander Zargaran
Sara Sousi
Gary Colville
Gill Radcliffe
Rocio T Martinez Nunez
COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
BMJ Open
title COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
title_full COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
title_fullStr COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
title_full_unstemmed COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
title_short COVID-19 Early Detection in Doctors and Healthcare Workers (CEDiD) study: a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
title_sort covid 19 early detection in doctors and healthcare workers cedid study a cohort study on the feasibility of wearable devices
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e089598.full
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