Wearables an effective tool in tracking COVID-19: Study
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Wearable devices can identify COVID-19 cases earlier than traditional diagnostic methods and help track and improve management of the disease, according to research conducted by Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
The research, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research on Jan. 29, tracked the subtle changes in a participant’s heart rate variability, as measured by an Apple Watch. Researchers were then able to signal the onset of COVID-19 up to seven days before the individual was diagnosed with the infection via nasal swab or even before symptoms appeared.
The study of 297 health care workers throughout the Mount Sinai Health System was part of an ongoing digital study conducted between April and September 2020. Participants wore Apple Watches and answered daily questions through a customized app.
Changes in their heart rate variability — a measure of nervous system function detected by the wearable device — were used to predict whether the workers were infected with COVID-19 or had symptoms.
Other daily symptoms that were collected included fever or chills, tiredness or weakness, body aches, dry cough, sneezing, runny nose, diarrhea, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste, and itchy eyes.
Additionally, the researchers found that 7 to 14 days after diagnosis with COVID-19, the heart rate variability pattern began to normalize and was no longer statistically different from the patterns of those who were not infected.
The use of the Apple Watches to track COVID-19 among workers continues, with 500 participants now enrolled in the program, a Mount Sinai spokeswoman said Tuesday.
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