Stanford University is trying to turn wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch and the Fitbit health tracker, into a “weapon” in the fight against COVID-19. Specifically, the Stanford School of Medicine’s Health Innovation Lab launched the “Coronavirus Wearables” study earlier this year to investigate whether wearable devices, such as those from Apple and Fitbit, could be used to detect people who are sick with COVID-19 before they even start showing symptoms. Of course, there are also people who are sick with the virus but do not show symptoms.
The study will ask participants to provide data from their wearables, such as heart rate and skin temperature, through an app created by Stanford’s bioinformatics group. It’s a system that currently works with Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit devices, among others. Prospective participants will also be required to regularly complete a symptom checklist and can optionally share information about their medical records. Anyone who wants to participate in the study must either have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or be at high risk of contracting the virus. For example, those who work in healthcare or those who have recently traveled by ship or plane are more likely to have contracted the virus. Participants will also have to be over 18 years old, and they should keep in mind that the study will last two years.
This isn't the first time Stanford has attempted to examine the potential of wearable devices to improve health. In 2017, the university launched a study with Apple to see if the Watch could detect atrial fibrillation or examine heart conditions to determine whether they could lead to strokes or heart attacks.
The current study, which is a collaboration between Stanford University School of Medicine, Scripps Research, and Fitbit, will use data collected from wearables in an effort to create algorithms that can detect changes in someone’s body that may indicate an impending infection. Once signs of infection are detected (e.g., an increase in resting heart rate), the wearable device will be notified via an app that they may be sick, so they can isolate themselves before they spread the virus.
The study is also looking at whether data from wearable devices can provide more information than just information about a potential infection. For example, the study is looking at whether such a device could show whether certain people may have a more severe reaction to the infection. The first official results of the study are expected to be published in the coming weeks. Once the system is ready for production, the team hopes to release it under an open source license.
There are other potential uses for this technology that may require study. For example, in people who may have difficulty speaking when they are sick (very young children or people with dementia), health monitoring using wearable devices could give caregivers valuable insight into whether their guesses are correct or incorrect. The technology could also be combined with tracing applications to identify people who may have come into contact with asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Tech companies are working to make their products more useful in tracking suspected COVID-19 infections. In particular, Apple and Google announced a joint effort on COVID-19, which aims to help public authorities and health organizations create apps to track and trace people who may have been exposed to the virus. The exposure notification framework will allow iPhone and Android to record the people they have come into contact with and notify them if those people are subsequently diagnosed with the virus. Apple is trying to help fight COVID-19 with the Watch. At WWDC, the company announced that the next Watch OS will be able to detect when users are washing their hands, setting a timer for 20 seconds, which is the recommended time to prevent the spread of the virus, while also vibrating to let users know when their hand-washing time is up.
