As Australia and many other countries begin to “flatten the curve”, attention is now firmly turning to economic recovery and a return to some semblance of societal “normality”. Smart sensing has a critical role to play not only in the clinical diagnosis and therapy of COVID-19 but in the detection and compliance factors that will be required as societies and economies emerge from lockdown measures. 

Across a series of five virtual workshops, the NSSN brings together researchers, industry and government to explore innovative solutions to address COVID-19 issues where smart sensing can play a critical role.

This workshop focusses on Work Health & Safety for Health & Allied Health Professionals. There is a need for a standardised procedures for caring for COVID-19 patients to suppress the spread to the health care professional and their families. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a technical guide for health workers on their website. The Communicable Disease Network Australia (CDNA) has released the interim recommendation for the public health sector on handling the disease. 

There is an opportunity for sensors to monitor compliance with these guidelines and minimise the risk of spreading the disease, such as tracking their movements in the hospital, hand washing, and wearing protective gears. The problem is not only contained within the care procedure. The health workers may be fatigued and prone to errors. A sensing solution may be able to mitigate this. 

This workshop is by invitation only. If you feel you have a valuable contribution and wish to participate, please contact Dr Ayu Saraswati.