Novel wearable technology for remote and continuous COVID-19 patient monitoring at home

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The goal of the proposed project is to develop a low-cost wearable sensor system for remote and continuous monitoring of COVID-19 patients at home. A sensor system that can continuously and accurately measure comprehensive vital signs will allow home-bound patients and their caregivers to make better and timely decisions as to whether care should be escalated when their health changes gradually or suddenly. Especially, this is relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, where rapidly increasing numbers of patients and long hospitalization durations are imposing stress on the Canadian healthcare system. Such low-cost system for home-bound patients could save lives as Canadian health authorities, including the Fraser Health Authority, prepare for future waves of the COVID-19 outbreak that may emerge once physical distancing measures are eased. Of particular interest is the 'silent hypoxia' cases caused by COVID-19 pneumonia that can lead to sudden death if not properly monitored and treated in a timely manner. This project is a collaboration between Dr. Ed Park's research team at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the Fraser Health Authority's Dr. Cheryl Beach, Executive Director of Home Support & Home Health COVID-19 Planning, and Dr. Fabio Feldman, Director of Clinical Quality & Patient Safety.