Embracing smart sensing technology to mobilise a pandemic healthcare response

In this article, the NSSN’s Research Theme Leader in Manufacturing and Microfluidics, Dr Ramanathan Vaidyanathan, gives his perspective on the role of sensing and diagnostics in emerging from the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test to the human race like no other. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need to adopt, harness, and leverage sensors in a scale and speed that is unparalleled. It has re-shaped human life by developing new lifestyle patterns in a world where all of us work from our living rooms.

Sensors and innovation in technology during this period has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape our living and encourage new and more sustainable habits. In an effort to mobilise a pandemic response, governments across the globe have embraced technology from contact tracing to telemedicine, maintaining social distancing, rapid testing, remote learning, and patient monitoring. 

One of the several key learnings from the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) COVID Q&A Forum that brought together world-renowned scientists and practitioners from across the State is the need for collaboration between researchers, government, and the broader community from the outset. Further, a process roadmap on the priorities for research in sensor technology for COVID-19 was recently published by the researchers at the University of Sydney in consultation with several stakeholders including scientists, the broader community and policymakers.  This roadmap emphasizes the importance of including the ultimate end-user or beneficiary during sensor design, considering sensor research over the years has not systematically and explicitly included the perspectives of the end-users. 

With most plans for recovery and restoring normalcy being centred around rapid testing, we have seen several existing sensors developed for a wide range of applications being retooled to detect COVID and support, if not replace the gold-standard RT-PCR test. 

The recent FDA approval for home-testing kits developed by Ellume based in Brisbane is a testament to the need for more rapid diagnostics to curb the spread of COVID. In addition to these rapid COVID detection devices, wearable sensors have emerged as promising candidates for monitoring of individual and population health, thereby predicting the incidence of COVID-19.

In combination with predictive platforms, wearable devices measuring physiological metrics could alert the individual regarding the likelihood of a viral infection when oxygen levels, blood pressure or temperature change drastically.  On a larger scale, public health officials could use this localized or de-identified data to monitor close contacts of infected individuals and control the severity of the outbreak. 

For several years telemedicine visits were considered ineffective compared to in-person visits to a clinic owing to the inability to perform physical examinations and record vital signs. However, in desperate times such as this delivering patient care through telemedicine has become a primary means of consultation if not the only means of patient consult in many countries. 

The rapid adoption of sensor-based approaches to provide real-time data has given immense value and objectivity to a virtual patient consult. With the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the USA expanding their reimbursement policy to cover over 250 categories of telehealth, there has been a significant reduction in the overall healthcare costs. 

The economic benefits derived through E-consults (i.e., virtual consultation) also indirectly reduced the burden on hospitals by avoiding congested outpatient waiting rooms. It is anticipated that in the post COVID era, more people might embrace E-consults with numerous sensors being developed with improved accuracy for self-monitoring at homes. 

With numerous promising vaccine candidates continuing to emerge, preparedness for the next phase of the pandemic requires sensor technology that is relevant and responsive to the development of immunity and to help suppress the spread of the virus on a long-term basis. This is particularly important considering majority of the infected population have experienced stigma, fears and rejection from the broader community. Generating relevant data using targeted sensor technologies can play a vital role in helping us choose wise interventions for the future. 

Despite the concerns and the difficulties faced throughout the pandemic, it has been heart-warming to see governments, health and policy advisors recognize the importance of collaboration, fund relevant research initiatives, and mobilise taskforces to support the healthcare system, which in an ideal world could be far-fetched. 

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