Wearable Technology Could Prevent COVID-19 Complications And Death For People Recovering At Home

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine will compare the outcomes of people with COVID-19 who are monitored at home by wearable technology, to people who receive standard outpatient care. The investigators hope to determine if Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) can be used successfully to track symptoms and flag people at risk for getting severely ill, and why.

Jonathan D. Leff, M.D., FASE, vice chair, Faculty & Academic Affairs and chief, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Montefiore and professor of anesthesiology and of cardiovascular & thoracic surgery, Einstein, is leading the study, which will include 150 people being monitored remotely by a team of medical professionals.

The team will keep a constant eye on participants' health status in real-time, including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature, all while watching for any signs of deterioration. Researchers will also enroll 150 people who get standard outpatient care, which consists of self-monitoring and follow-up phone calls from providers. The outcomes of the two groups will then be compared.

"We know that the majority of people with COVID-19 fare well recovering at home," said Dr. Leff. "However, some people may not be comfortable managing their own symptoms or may not notice when their condition gets worse. Our study will help identify abnormal vital signs associated with declining health and hopefully prevent the development of life-threatening complications before it's too late."

To monitor participants, researchers are partnering with doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and wellness coaches at MonitorMe, a telehealth provider with experience managing complex care patients. People in the RPM group will be monitored 24 hours a day by the team, and will keep a daily diary of their symptoms, including cough and difficulty breathing. People being monitored have access to real-time support, they can consult a provider immediately and be admitted directly to the hospital, if necessary.

After patient data has been collected and the study is complete, the investigators will partner with Montefiore & Einstein's Center for Health Data Innovations to build an algorithm that will predict which COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate disease are at risk for developing severe complications. This tool could potentially be used to identify people who would benefit from early intervention and enhanced treatment.

"While the COVID-positive testing rate in New York is around 1% right now, we can't predict if there will be an uptick in cases during flu season," said co-investigator Singh Nair, M.D., director, Anesthesiology Clinical Research Studies, Montefiore and assistant professor of anesthesiology, Einstein. "Our goal is to determine if wearable technologies can play a role in improving care outside the hospital and pinpoint who is most likely to suffer from COVID-19 complications. By doing so, we can be smarter about how we deploy resources and deliver the most informed care."

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D. students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

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SOURCE Montefiore Health System; Albert Einstein College of Medicine