AIIMS Nagpur develops smart band to monitor COVID-19 patients
In a bid to help with COVID-19 containment efforts, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, has developed a smart wrist band. The device, designed and developed with the help of teams at IIT Jodhpur and IIIT Nagpur, works without a smartphone and helps ensure effective monitoring and tracking of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients. Here's how it works.
Need to track/monitor patients now more than ever
With the tally of COVID-19 cases inching closer to the 13 lakh mark, healthcare workers across India are working day in and day out to keep infected patients, and their contacts, successfully quarantined. But, the problem is, placing people under quarantine is one thing, and making sure that they stay in for the next 14 days is another — and a major challenge.
Apps do not provide effective tracking benefits
Since the pandemic began, a number of instances of quarantine violations have been reported across India. Several state governments have deployed tracking apps to make sure people remain indoors, but all these solutions rely on internet-enabled smartphones, which a lot of people do not have, especially in rural India. This has made enforcing quarantine restrictions even more difficult in the country.
New band hopes to solve this problem
Now, to tackle these challenges, AIIMS Nagpur has developed the smart wrist band. The device works without a smartphone and uses more reliable geofencing technology to detect when a person wearing the device breaches the quarantine zone. As soon as it detects the breach, concerned authorities are given a real-time warning alert to check on the individual's movement and take necessary action.
Plus, it also helps with monitoring
Along with tracking confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients, the smart band in question also does the job of checking the vitals of the patient, something that they have to feed manually in the app. Dr. Prathamesh Kamble, the AIIMS professor who conceptualized this device, says that it can track vitals like the temperature of the patient, their pulse rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation.
Patients can seek early medical help
With real-time vital monitoring, the band can alert the wearer as soon as something goes off the charts. Then, they can immediately get in touch with healthcare workers and seek necessary medical care on time. Notably, all the data collected through the device is securely stored on cloud, with limited access to select healthcare workers and officials.
No word on deployment yet
The wristband will make monitoring of COVID-19 patients easier, but as of now, there is no word on when this technology would be deployed on a large scale.
