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Shirreff G, Huynh BT, Duval A, Pereira LC, Annane D, Dinh A, Lambotte O, Bulifon S, Guichardon M, Beaune S, Toubiana J, Kermorvant-Duchemin E, Chéron G, Cordel H, Argaud L, Douplat M, Abraham P, Tazarourte K, Martin-Gaujard G, Vanhems P, Hilliquin D, Nguyen D, Chelius G, Fraboulet A, Temime L, Opatowski L, Guillemot D. Assessing respiratory epidemic potential in French hospitals through collection of close contact data (April-June 2020). Sci Rep 2024; 14:3702. [PMID: 38355640 PMCID: PMC10866902 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50228-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 within hospitals can exceed that in the general community because of more frequent close proximity interactions (CPIs). However, epidemic risk across wards is still poorly described. We measured CPIs directly using wearable sensors given to all present in a clinical ward over a 36-h period, across 15 wards in three hospitals in April-June 2020. Data were collected from 2114 participants and combined with a simple transmission model describing the arrival of a single index case to the ward to estimate the risk of an outbreak. Estimated epidemic risk ranged four-fold, from 0.12 secondary infections per day in an adult emergency to 0.49 per day in general paediatrics. The risk presented by an index case in a patient varied 20-fold across wards. Using simulation, we assessed the potential impact on outbreak risk of targeting the most connected individuals for prevention. We found that targeting those with the highest cumulative contact hours was most impactful (20% reduction for 5% of the population targeted), and on average resources were better spent targeting patients. This study reveals patterns of interactions between individuals in hospital during a pandemic and opens new routes for research into airborne nosocomial risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Shirreff
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-Infective Evasion and Pharmacoepidemiology Team, Université Paris-Saclay, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
- Modélisation, Épidémiologie Et Surveillance Des Risques Sanitaires (MESuRS), Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Métiers, Paris, France
| | - Bich-Tram Huynh
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-Infective Evasion and Pharmacoepidemiology Team, Université Paris-Saclay, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Audrey Duval
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Lara Cristina Pereira
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Djillali Annane
- IHU PROMETHEUS, Raymond Poincaré Hospital (APHP), INSERM, Université Paris Saclay Campus Versailles, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien Dinh
- Service de Maladies Infectieuses Et Tropicales, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Hôpital Raymond Poincaré, Garches, France
| | - Olivier Lambotte
- Service de Médecine Interne Et Immunologie Clinique, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France
- UMR1184, IMVA-HB, Inserm, CEA, Université Paris Saclay, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Sophie Bulifon
- Service de Pneumologie, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Magali Guichardon
- Service de Gériatrie, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France
| | - Sebastien Beaune
- Service Des Urgences Adultes, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Julie Toubiana
- Service de Pédiatrie Générale, AP-HP. Centre - Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
| | - Elsa Kermorvant-Duchemin
- Service de Réanimation Néonatale, AP-HP. Centre - Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
| | - Gerard Chéron
- Service Des Urgences Pédiatriques, AP-HP. Centre - Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
| | - Hugues Cordel
- Service de Maladies Infectieuses Et Tropicales, AP-HP. Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Seine-Saint-Denis, Hôpital Avicenne, Bobigny, France
| | - Laurent Argaud
- Service de Réanimation Adulte, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France
| | - Marion Douplat
- Service Des Urgences Adultes, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Hôpital Lyon Sud, Pierre-Bénite, France
| | - Paul Abraham
- Service d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France
| | - Karim Tazarourte
- Service Des Urgences Adultes, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France
| | - Géraldine Martin-Gaujard
- Service de Gériatrie, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France
| | - Philippe Vanhems
- Service Hygiène, Épidémiologie, Infectiovigilance Et Prévention, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
- Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Team Public Health, Epidemiology and Evolutionary Ecology of Infectious Diseases (PHE3ID), Univ Lyon, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Delphine Hilliquin
- Service Hygiène, Épidémiologie, Infectiovigilance Et Prévention, Hospices Civils de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
| | - Duc Nguyen
- Service Des Maladies Infectieuses Et Tropicales, CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France
| | | | | | - Laura Temime
- Modélisation, Épidémiologie Et Surveillance Des Risques Sanitaires (MESuRS), Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Métiers, Paris, France
- PACRI Unit, Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Métiers, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Lulla Opatowski
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-Infective Evasion and Pharmacoepidemiology Team, Université Paris-Saclay, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Didier Guillemot
- Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
- UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, Anti-Infective Evasion and Pharmacoepidemiology Team, Université Paris-Saclay, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France.
- Department of Public Health, Medical Information, Clinical Research, AP-HP. Paris Saclay, Paris, France.
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Pulcinelli M, Pinnelli M, Massaroni C, Lo Presti D, Fortino G, Schena E. Wearable Systems for Unveiling Collective Intelligence in Clinical Settings. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:9777. [PMID: 38139623 PMCID: PMC10747409 DOI: 10.3390/s23249777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, there is an ever-growing interest in assessing the collective intelligence (CI) of a team in a wide range of scenarios, thanks to its potential in enhancing teamwork and group performance. Recently, special attention has been devoted on the clinical setting, where breakdowns in teamwork, leadership, and communication can lead to adverse events, compromising patient safety. So far, researchers have mostly relied on surveys to study human behavior and group dynamics; however, this method is ineffective. In contrast, a promising solution to monitor behavioral and individual features that are reflective of CI is represented by wearable technologies. To date, the field of CI assessment still appears unstructured; therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to provide a detailed overview of the main group and individual parameters that can be monitored to evaluate CI in clinical settings, together with the wearables either already used to assess them or that have the potential to be applied in this scenario. The working principles, advantages, and disadvantages of each device are introduced in order to try to bring order in this field and provide a guide for future CI investigations in medical contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Pulcinelli
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Roma, Italy; (M.P.); (M.P.); (C.M.); (E.S.)
| | - Mariangela Pinnelli
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Roma, Italy; (M.P.); (M.P.); (C.M.); (E.S.)
| | - Carlo Massaroni
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Roma, Italy; (M.P.); (M.P.); (C.M.); (E.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Roma, Italy
| | - Daniela Lo Presti
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Roma, Italy; (M.P.); (M.P.); (C.M.); (E.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Roma, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Fortino
- DIMES, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci 41C, 87036 Rende, Italy;
| | - Emiliano Schena
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Roma, Italy; (M.P.); (M.P.); (C.M.); (E.S.)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Roma, Italy
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Esumi R, Ito-Masui A, Kawamoto E, Ito M, Hayashi T, Shinkai T, Hane A, Okuno F, Park EJ, Kaku R, Shimaoka M. Correlation Between the Social Network Structure and Well-Being of Health Care Workers in Intensive Care Units: Prospective Observational Study. Interact J Med Res 2023; 12:e50148. [PMID: 37935050 PMCID: PMC10719822 DOI: 10.2196/50148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective communication strategies are becoming increasingly important in intensive care units (ICUs) where patients at high risk are treated. Distributed leadership promotes effective communication among health care professionals (HCPs). Moreover, beyond facilitating patient care, it may improve well-being among HCPs by fostering teamwork. However, the impact of distributed leadership on the communication structure and well-being of HCPs remains unclear. OBJECTIVE We performed a social network analysis (SNA) to assess the characteristics of each HCP in the network, identify the number of HCP connections, analyze 4 centralities that can measure an HCP's importance, and evaluate the impact of distributed leadership structure on the well-being and communication structure of the medical staff. METHODS Wearable sensors were used to obtain face-to-face interaction data from the ICU medical staff at Mie University Hospital, Japan. Participants wore a badge on the front of their clothing during working hours to measure the total frequency of face-to-face interactions. We collected data about the well-being of medical staff using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) questionnaire and measured 4 centralities using SNA analysis. A CES-D questionnaire was administered during the study to measure the well-being of the HCPs. RESULTS Overall, 247 ICU workers participated in this clinical study for 4 weeks yearly in February 2016, 2017, and 2018. The distributed leadership structure was established within the ICU in 2017 and 2018. We compared these results with those of the traditional leadership structure used in 2016. Most face-to-face interactions in the ICU were among nurses or between nurses and other professionals. In 2016, overall, 10 nurses could perform leadership tasks, which significantly increased to 24 in 2017 (P=.046) and 20 in 2018 (P=.046). Considering the increased number of nurses who could perform leadership duties and the collaboration created within the organization, SNA in 2018 showed that the betweenness (P=.001), degree (P<.001), and closeness (P<.001) centralities significantly increased compared with those in 2016. However, the eigenvector centrality significantly decreased in 2018 compared with that in 2016 (P=.01). The CES-D scores in 2018 also significantly decreased compared with those in 2016 (P=.01). The betweenness (r=0.269; P=.02), degree (r=0.262; P=.03), and eigenvector (r=0.261; P=.03) centralities and CES-D scores were positively correlated in 2016, whereas the closeness centrality and CES-D scores were negatively correlated (r=-0.318; P=.01). In 2018, the degree (r=-0.280; P=.01) and eigenvector (r=-0.284; P=.01) centralities were negatively correlated with CES-D scores. CONCLUSIONS Face-to-face interactions of HCPs in the ICU were measured using wearable sensors, and nurses were found to be centrally located. However, the introduction of distributed leadership created collaboration and informal leadership in the organization, altering the social network structure of HCPs and increasing organizational well-being. TRIAL REGISTRATION University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) UMIN000037046; https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/icdr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000042211.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Esumi
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, National Hospital Organization Mie Chuo Medical Center, Tsu, Japan
| | - Asami Ito-Masui
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Eiji Kawamoto
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Mami Ito
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Tomoyo Hayashi
- Department of Nursing, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Toru Shinkai
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Atsuya Hane
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Fumito Okuno
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Eun Jeong Park
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Ryuji Kaku
- Department of Anesthesiology, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan
| | - Motomu Shimaoka
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
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4
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Karimi F, Oliveira M. On the inadequacy of nominal assortativity for assessing homophily in networks. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21053. [PMID: 38030623 PMCID: PMC10686992 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48113-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nominal assortativity (or discrete assortativity) is widely used to characterize group mixing patterns and homophily in networks, enabling researchers to analyze how groups interact with one another. Here we demonstrate that the measure presents severe shortcomings when applied to networks with unequal group sizes and asymmetric mixing. We characterize these shortcomings analytically and use synthetic and empirical networks to show that nominal assortativity fails to account for group imbalance and asymmetric group interactions, thereby producing an inaccurate characterization of mixing patterns. We propose the adjusted nominal assortativity and show that this adjustment recovers the expected assortativity in networks with various level of mixing. Furthermore, we propose an analytical method to assess asymmetric mixing by estimating the tendency of inter- and intra-group connectivities. Finally, we discuss how this approach enables uncovering hidden mixing patterns in real-world networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariba Karimi
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080, Vienna, Austria.
- Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.
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5
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Zhang N, Liu L, Dou Z, Liu X, Yang X, Miao D, Guo Y, Gu S, Li Y, Qian H, Wei J. Close contact behaviors of university and school students in 10 indoor environments. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 458:132069. [PMID: 37463561 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Close contact routes, including short-range airborne and large-droplet routes, play an important role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments. However, the exposure risk of such routes is difficult to quantify due to the lack of data on the close contact behavior of individuals. In this study, a digital wearable device, based on semi-supervised learning, was developed to automatically record human close contact behavior. We collected 337,056 s of indoor close contact of school and university students from 194.5 h of depth video recordings in 10 types of indoor environments. The correlation between aerosol exposure and close contact behaviors was then evaluated. Individuals in restaurants had the highest close contact ratio (64%), as well as the highest probability of face-to-face pattern (78%) during close contact. Accordingly, university students showed greater exposure potential in dormitories than school students in homes, however, a lower exposure was observed in classrooms and postgraduate student offices in comparison with school students in classrooms. In addition, restaurants had the highest aerosol exposure volume for both short-range inhalation and direct deposition on the facial mucosa. Thus, the classroom was established as the primary indoor environment where school students are exposed to aerosols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyang Dou
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiyue Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Xueze Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Doudou Miao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Guo
- Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Silan Gu
- Thee First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hua Qian
- School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianjian Wei
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Key Laboratory of Refrigeration and Cryogenic Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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6
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Weiss KE, Kolbe M, Lohmeyer Q, Meboldt M. Measuring teamwork for training in healthcare using eye tracking and pose estimation. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1169940. [PMID: 37325757 PMCID: PMC10264622 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1169940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Teamwork is critical for safe patient care. Healthcare teams typically train teamwork in simulated clinical situations, which require the ability to measure teamwork via behavior observation. However, the required observations are prone to human biases and include significant cognitive load even for trained instructors. In this observational study we explored how eye tracking and pose estimation as two minimal invasive video-based technologies may measure teamwork during simulation-based teamwork training in healthcare. Mobile eye tracking, measuring where participants look, and multi-person pose estimation, measuring 3D human body and joint position, were used to record 64 third-year medical students who completed a simulated handover case in teams of four. On one hand, we processed the recorded data into the eye contact metric, based on eye tracking and relevant for situational awareness and communication patterns. On the other hand, the distance to patient metric was processed, based on multi-person pose estimation and relevant for team positioning and coordination. After successful data recording, we successfully processed the raw videos to specific teamwork metrics. The average eye contact time was 6.46 s [min 0 s - max 28.01 s], while the average distance to the patient resulted in 1.01 m [min 0.32 m - max 1.6 m]. Both metrics varied significantly between teams and simulated roles of participants (p < 0.001). With the objective, continuous, and reliable metrics we created visualizations illustrating the teams' interactions. Future research is necessary to generalize our findings and how they may complement existing methods, support instructors, and contribute to the quality of teamwork training in healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michaela Kolbe
- Simulation Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Lohmeyer
- Product Development Group Zurich, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mirko Meboldt
- Product Development Group Zurich, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Luca M, Campedelli GM, Centellegher S, Tizzoni M, Lepri B. Crime, inequality and public health: a survey of emerging trends in urban data science. Front Big Data 2023; 6:1124526. [PMID: 37303974 PMCID: PMC10248183 DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2023.1124526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban agglomerations are constantly and rapidly evolving ecosystems, with globalization and increasing urbanization posing new challenges in sustainable urban development well summarized in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The advent of the digital age generated by modern alternative data sources provides new tools to tackle these challenges with spatio-temporal scales that were previously unavailable with census statistics. In this review, we present how new digital data sources are employed to provide data-driven insights to study and track (i) urban crime and public safety; (ii) socioeconomic inequalities and segregation; and (iii) public health, with a particular focus on the city scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Luca
- Mobile and Social Computing Lab, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
- Faculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - Michele Tizzoni
- Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Bruno Lepri
- Mobile and Social Computing Lab, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, Italy
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8
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Chen W, Liu L, Zhang N, Hang J, Li Y. Conversational head movement decreases close-contact exposure to expired respiratory droplets. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 444:130406. [PMID: 36417778 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
People constantly move their heads during conversation, as such movement is an important non-verbal mode of communication. Head movement alters the direction of people's expired air flow, therefore affecting their conversational partners' level of exposure. Nevertheless, there is a lack of understanding of the mechanism whereby head movement affects people's exposure. In this study, a dynamic meshing method in computational fluid dynamics was used to simulate the head movement of a human-shaped thermal manikin. Droplets were released during the oral expiration periods of the source manikin, during which it was either motionless, was shaking its head or was nodding its head, while the head of a face-to-face target manikin remained motionless. The results indicate that the target manikin had a high level of exposure to respiratory droplets when the source manikin was motionless, whereas the target manikin's level of exposure was significantly reduced when the source manikin was shaking or nodding its head. The source manikin had the highest level of self-exposure when it was nodding its head and the lowest level of self-exposure when its head was motionless. People's level of exposure during close contact is highly variable, highlighting the need for further investigations in more realistic conversational scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhao Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Hang
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
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9
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Gao L, Konomi S. Indoor Spatiotemporal Contact Analytics Using Landmark-Aided Pedestrian Dead Reckoning on Smartphones. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 23:113. [PMID: 36616711 PMCID: PMC9823719 DOI: 10.3390/s23010113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Due to the prevalence of COVID-19, providing safe environments and reducing the risks of virus exposure play pivotal roles in our daily lives. Contact tracing is a well-established and widely-used approach to track and suppress the spread of viruses. Most digital contact tracing systems can detect direct face-to-face contact based on estimated proximity, without quantifying the exposed virus concentration. In particular, they rarely allow for quantitative analysis of indirect environmental exposure due to virus survival time in the air and constant airborne transmission. In this work, we propose an indoor spatiotemporal contact awareness framework (iSTCA), which explicitly considers the self-containing quantitative contact analytics approach with spatiotemporal information to provide accurate awareness of the virus quanta concentration in different origins at various times. Smartphone-based pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) is employed to precisely detect the locations and trajectories for distance estimation and time assessment without the need to deploy extra infrastructure. The PDR technique we employ calibrates the accumulative error by identifying spatial landmarks automatically. We utilized a custom deep learning model composed of bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) and multi-head convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for extracting the local correlation and long-term dependency to recognize landmarks. By considering the spatial distance and time difference in an integrated manner, we can quantify the virus quanta concentration of the entire indoor environment at any time with all contributed virus particles. We conducted an extensive experiment based on practical scenarios to evaluate the performance of the proposed system, showing that the average positioning error is reduced to less than 0.7 m with high confidence and demonstrating the validity of our system for the virus quanta concentration quantification involving virus movement in a complex indoor environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Gao
- Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Shin’ichi Konomi
- Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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10
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Improving physical distancing among healthcare workers in a pediatric intensive care unit. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022; 43:1790-1795. [PMID: 34903308 PMCID: PMC8692852 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2021.501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare workers (HCWs) not adhering to physical distancing recommendations is a risk factor for acquisition of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The study objective was to assess the impact of interventions to improve HCW physical distancing on actual distance between HCWs in a real-life setting. METHODS HCWs voluntarily wore proximity beacons to measure the number and intensity of physical distancing interactions between each other in a pediatric intensive care unit. We compared interactions before and after implementing a bundle of interventions including changes to the layout of workstations, cognitive aids, and individual feedback from wearable proximity beacons. RESULTS Overall, we recorded 10,788 interactions within 6 feet (∼2 m) and lasting >5 seconds. The number of HCWs wearing beacons fluctuated daily and increased over the study period. On average, 13 beacons were worn daily (32% of possible staff; range, 2-32 per day). We recorded 3,218 interactions before the interventions and 7,570 interactions after the interventions began. Using regression analysis accounting for the maximum number of potential interactions if all staff had worn beacons on a given day, there was a 1% decline in the number of interactions per possible interactions in the postintervention period (incident rate ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.00; P = .02) with fewer interactions occurring at nursing stations, in workrooms and during morning rounds. CONCLUSIONS Using quantitative data from wearable proximity beacons, we found an overall small decline in interactions within 6 feet between HCWs in a busy intensive care unit after a multifaceted bundle of interventions was implemented to improve physical distancing.
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11
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Cristóbal T, Quesada-Arencibia A, de Blasio GS, Padrón G, Alayón F, García CR. Data mining methodology for obtaining epidemiological data in the context of road transport systems. JOURNAL OF AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE AND HUMANIZED COMPUTING 2022; 14:9253-9275. [PMID: 36212894 PMCID: PMC9525233 DOI: 10.1007/s12652-022-04427-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Millions of people use public transport systems daily, hence their interest for the epidemiology of respiratory infectious diseases, both from a scientific and a health control point of view. This article presents a methodology for obtaining epidemiological information on these types of diseases in the context of a public road transport system. This epidemiological information is based on an estimation of interactions with risk of infection between users of the public transport system. The methodology is novel in its aim since, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous study in the context of epidemiology and public transport systems that addresses this challenge. The information is obtained by mining the data generated from trips made by transport users who use contactless cards as a means of payment. Data mining therefore underpins the methodology. One achievement of the methodology is that it is a comprehensive approach, since, starting from a formalisation of the problem based on epidemiological concepts and the transport activity itself, all the necessary steps to obtain the required epidemiological knowledge are described and implemented. This includes the estimation of data that are generally unknown in the context of public transport systems, but that are required to generate the desired results. The outcome is useful epidemiological data based on a complete and reliable description of all estimated potentially infectious interactions between users of the transport system. The methodology can be implemented using a variety of initial specifications: epidemiological, temporal, geographic, inter alia. Another feature of the methodology is that with the information it provides, epidemiological studies can be carried out involving a large number of people, producing large samples of interactions obtained over long periods of time, thereby making it possible to carry out comparative studies. Moreover, a real use case is described, in which the methodology is applied to a road transport system that annually moves around 20 million passengers, in a period that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. The results have made it possible to identify the group of users most exposed to infection, although they are not the largest group. Finally, it is estimated that the application of a seat allocation strategy that minimises the risk of infection reduces the risk by 50%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Cristóbal
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Alexis Quesada-Arencibia
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Gabriele Salvatore de Blasio
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Gabino Padrón
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Francisco Alayón
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Carmelo R. García
- Institute for Cybernetics, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
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12
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Kalvas LB, Harrison TM, Solove S, Happ MB. Sleep disruption and delirium in critically ill children: Study protocol feasibility. Res Nurs Health 2022; 45:604-615. [PMID: 35986659 PMCID: PMC9529999 DOI: 10.1002/nur.22259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Delirium is a serious complication of pediatric critical illness. Sleep disruption is frequently observed in children with delirium, and circadian rhythm dysregulation is one proposed cause of delirium. Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience multiple environmental exposures with the potential to disrupt sleep. Although researchers have measured PICU light and sound exposure, sleep, and delirium, these variables have not yet been fully explored in a single study. Furthermore, caregiving patterns have not often been included as a component of the PICU environment. Measuring the light and sound exposure, caregiving patterns, and sleep of critically ill children requires continuous PICU bedside data collection. This presents multiple methodological challenges. In this paper, we describe the protocol for an observational pilot study of the PICU environment, sleep, and delirium experienced by a sample of 10 critically ill children 1-4 years of age. We also evaluate and discuss the feasibility (i.e., acceptability, implementation, practicality) of the study protocol. Light and sound exposure were measured with bedside sensors. Caregiving was quantified through video recording. Sleep was measured via actigraphy and confirmed by video recording. Delirium screening with the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium was conducted twice daily, either in person or via video review. This study provides a refined measurement framework to inform future, large-scale studies and the development of nurse-driven sleep promotion interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Beth Kalvas
- Post-Docotral Fellow
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH
| | - Tondi M. Harrison
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH
- Associate Professor
| | - Sandra Solove
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH
- Research Regulatory Coordinator
| | - Mary Beth Happ
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH
- Senior Associate Dean for Research and Innovation
- Distinguished Professor of Critical Care Research
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13
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Liu X, Dou Z, Wang L, Su B, Jin T, Guo Y, Wei J, Zhang N. Close contact behavior-based COVID-19 transmission and interventions in a subway system. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 436:129233. [PMID: 35739753 PMCID: PMC9132379 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
During COVID-19 pandemic, analysis on virus exposure and intervention efficiency in public transports based on real passenger's close contact behaviors is critical to curb infectious disease transmission. A monitoring device was developed to gather a total of 145,821 close contact data in subways based on semi-supervision learning. A virus transmission model considering both short- and long-range inhalation and deposition was established to calculate the virus exposure. During rush-hour, short-range inhalation exposure is 3.2 times higher than deposition exposure and 7.5 times higher than long-range inhalation exposure of all passengers in the subway. The close contact rate was 56.1 % and the average interpersonal distance was 0.8 m. Face-to-back was the main pattern during close contact. Comparing with random distribution, if all passengers stand facing in the same direction, personal virus exposure through inhalation (deposition) can be reduced by 74.1 % (98.5 %). If the talk rate was decreased from 20 % to 5 %, the inhalation (deposition) exposure can be reduced by 69.3 % (73.8 %). In addition, we found that virus exposure could be reduced by 82.0 % if all passengers wear surgical masks. This study provides scientific support for COVID-19 prevention and control in subways based on real human close contact behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyue Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyang Dou
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics/Key Laboratory of Refrigeration and Cryogenic Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Boni Su
- China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Jin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Guo
- Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianjian Wei
- Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics/Key Laboratory of Refrigeration and Cryogenic Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
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14
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Smart Building Technologies in Response to COVID-19. ENERGIES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/en15155488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on society. Scientists are working to mitigate the impact in many ways. As a field closely related to human life, building engineering can make a great contribution. In this article, we started with the concept of the smart building as our guide. The impact of COVID-19 on daily energy consumption, information and communication technology, the ventilation of the interior environment of buildings, and the higher demand for new energy technologies such as electric vehicles is an entry point. We discuss how the concept of the smart building and related technologies (refrigeration, measurement, sensor networks, robotics, local energy generation, and storage) could help human society respond to the pandemic. We also analyze the current problems and difficulties that smart buildings face and the possible future directions of this technology.
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15
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Modular reactivation of Mexico City after COVID-19 lockdown. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:961. [PMID: 35562789 PMCID: PMC9100316 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13183-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, the slope of the epidemic curve in Mexico City has been quite unstable. Changes in human activity led to changes in epidemic activity, hampering attempts at economic and general reactivation of the city. METHODS We have predicted that where a fraction of the population above a certain threshold returns to the public space, the negative tendency of the epidemic curve will revert. Such predictions were based on modeling the reactivation of economic activity after lockdown using an epidemiological model resting upon a contact network of Mexico City derived from mobile device co-localization. We modeled scenarios with different proportions of the population returning to normalcy. Null models were built using the Jornada Nacional de Sana Distancia (the Mexican model of elective lockdown). There was a mobility reduction of 75% and no mandatory mobility restrictions. RESULTS We found that a new peak of cases in the epidemic curve was very likely for scenarios in which more than 5% of the population rejoined the public space. The return of more than 50% of the population synchronously will unleash a magnitude similar to the one predicted with no mitigation strategies. By evaluating the tendencies of the epidemic dynamics, the number of new cases registered, hospitalizations, and recent deaths, we consider that reactivation following only elective measures may not be optimal under this scenario. CONCLUSIONS Given the need to resume economic activities, we suggest alternative measures that minimize unnecessary contacts among people returning to the public space. We evaluated that "encapsulating" reactivated workers (that is, using measures to reduce the number of contacts beyond their influential community in the contact network) may allow reactivation of a more significant fraction of the population without compromising the desired tendency in the epidemic curve.
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16
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Leoni E, Cencetti G, Santin G, Istomin T, Molteni D, Picco GP, Farella E, Lepri B, Murphy AL. Measuring close proximity interactions in summer camps during the COVID-19 pandemic. EPJ DATA SCIENCE 2022; 11:5. [PMID: 35127327 PMCID: PMC8802275 DOI: 10.1140/epjds/s13688-022-00316-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Policy makers have implemented multiple non-pharmaceutical strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 worldwide crisis. Interventions had the aim of reducing close proximity interactions, which drive the spread of the disease. A deeper knowledge of human physical interactions has revealed necessary, especially in all settings involving children, whose education and gathering activities should be preserved. Despite their relevance, almost no data are available on close proximity contacts among children in schools or other educational settings during the pandemic. Contact data are usually gathered via Bluetooth, which nonetheless offers a low temporal and spatial resolution. Recently, ultra-wideband (UWB) radios emerged as a more accurate alternative that nonetheless exhibits a significantly higher energy consumption, limiting in-field studies. In this paper, we leverage a novel approach, embodied by the Janus system that combines these radios by exploiting their complementary benefits. The very accurate proximity data gathered in-field by Janus, once augmented with several metadata, unlocks unprecedented levels of information, enabling the development of novel multi-level risk analyses. By means of this technology, we have collected real contact data of children and educators in three summer camps during summer 2020 in the province of Trento, Italy. The wide variety of performed daily activities induced multiple individual behaviors, allowing a rich investigation of social environments from the contagion risk perspective. We consider risk based on duration and proximity of contacts and classify interactions according to different risk levels. We can then evaluate the summer camps' organization, observe the effect of partition in small groups, or social bubbles, and identify the organized activities that mitigate the riskier behaviors. Overall, we offer an insight into the educator-child and child-child social interactions during the pandemic, thus providing a valuable tool for schools, summer camps, and policy makers to (re)structure educational activities safely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia Leoni
- DIGIS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
- DEI, University of Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Cencetti
- DIGIS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Gabriele Santin
- DIGIS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Timofei Istomin
- DISI, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Davide Molteni
- DISI, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Bruno Lepri
- DIGIS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Amy L. Murphy
- DIGIS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
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17
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PIYARAJ P, KITTIKRAISAK W, BUATHONG S, SINTHUWATTANAWIBOOL C, NIVESVIVAT T, YOOCHAROEN P, NUCHTEAN T, KLUNGTHONG C, LYMAN M, MOTT JA, CHOTTANAPUND S. Encounter patterns and worker absenteeism/presenteeism among healthcare providers in Thailand. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbeha.2022.100067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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18
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Keller SC, Salinas AB, Oladapo-Shittu O, Cosgrove SE, Lewis-Cherry R, Osei P, Gurses AP, Jacak R, Zudock KK, Blount KM, Bowden KV, Rock C, Sick-Samuels AC, Vecchio-Pagan B. The case for wearable proximity devices to inform physical distancing among healthcare workers. JAMIA Open 2021; 4:ooab095. [PMID: 34926997 PMCID: PMC8672930 DOI: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooab095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Despite the importance of physical distancing in reducing SARS-CoV-2
transmission, this practice is challenging in healthcare. We piloted use of
wearable proximity beacons among healthcare workers (HCWs) in an inpatient
unit to highlight considerations for future use of trackable technologies in
healthcare settings. Materials and Methods We performed a feasibility pilot study in a non-COVID adult medical unit from
September 28 to October 28, 2020. HCWs wore wearable proximity beacons, and
interactions defined as <6 feet for ≥5 s were recorded.
Validation was performed using direct observations. Results A total of 6172 close proximity interactions were recorded, and with the
removal of 2033 false-positive interactions, 4139 remained. The highest
proportion of interactions occurred between 7:00 Am–9:00
Am. Direct observations of HCWs substantiated these
findings. Discussion This pilot study showed that wearable beacons can be used to monitor and
quantify HCW interactions in inpatient settings. Conclusion Technology can be used to track HCW physical distancing. Physical distancing, or social distancing, is important in preventing COVID-19.
It is hard for healthcare workers (HCWs) to physically distance at work. We
tested a device (proximity beacon) that HCWs could wear to measure their
distance from each other among HCWs on a medical unit. The device measured any
time HCWs were within 6 feet of each other for at least 5 s. We watched HCWs who
were close to each other. The devices and our observations showed that 7:00
Am—9:00 Am was the highest risk time for not
physically distancing. This study shows that wearable devices can be a tool to
monitor HCWs physical distancing on a hospital unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Keller
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Alejandra B Salinas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Opeyemi Oladapo-Shittu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sara E Cosgrove
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Robin Lewis-Cherry
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Patience Osei
- Armstrong Institute of Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ayse P Gurses
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Armstrong Institute of Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ron Jacak
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Kristina K Zudock
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Kianna M Blount
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Kenneth V Bowden
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Clare Rock
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna C Sick-Samuels
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Briana Vecchio-Pagan
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
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19
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Feasibility of Bluetooth Low Energy wearable tags to quantify healthcare worker proximity networks and patient close contact: A pilot study. Infect Dis Health 2021; 27:66-70. [PMID: 34810151 PMCID: PMC8963530 DOI: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background The hospital environment is characterised by a dense network of interactions between healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients. As highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic, this represents a risk for disease transmission and a challenge for contact tracing. We aimed to develop and pilot an automated system to address this challenge and describe contacts between HCWs and patients. Methods We developed a bespoke Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system for the hospital environment with anonymous tags worn by HCWs and fixed receivers at patient room doors. Proximity between wearable tags inferred contact between HCWs. Tag-receiver interactions inferred patient room entry and exit by HCWs. We performed a pilot study in four negative pressure isolation rooms from 13 April to 18 April 2021. Nursing and medical staff who consented to participate were able to collect one of ten wearable BLE tags during their shift. Results Over the four days, when divided by shift times, 27 nursing tags and 3 medical tags were monitored. We recorded 332 nurse–nurse interactions, for a median duration of 58 s [interquartile range (IQR): 39–101]. We recorded 45 nursing patient room entries, for a median 7 min [IQR: 3–21] of patient close contact. Patient close contact was shorter in rooms on airborne precautions, compared to those not o transmission-based precautions. Conclusion This pilot study supported the functionality of this approach to quantify HCW proximity networks and patient close contact. With further refinements, the system could be scaled-up to support contact tracing in high-risk environments.
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20
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Ito-Masui A, Kawamoto E, Esumi R, Imai H, Shimaoka M. Sociometric wearable devices for studying human behavior in corporate and healthcare workplaces. Biotechniques 2021; 71:392-399. [PMID: 34164992 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2020-0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Wearable sensor technology enables objective data collection of direct human interactions. The authors review sociometric wearable devices (SWD) and their application in healthcare. Human interactions captured by wearable sensors have been shown to correlate with social constructs such as teamwork and productivity in the office. Application of SWD in the field of healthcare requires special considerations: validation studies have shown technological disadvantages in acute medical settings. Application of SWD in healthcare should be considered based on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology. SWD can also play an important role in investigation of human interaction and epidemic spread. When study designs and methodologies are carefully considered, incorporation of SWD in healthcare research has promising potential for new insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asami Ito-Masui
- Emergency & Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Emergency & Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology & Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan
| | - Eiji Kawamoto
- Emergency & Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Emergency & Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology & Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan
| | - Ryo Esumi
- Emergency & Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Emergency & Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology & Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Imai
- Emergency & Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Mie, 5148507, Japan.,Department of Emergency & Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan
| | - Motomu Shimaoka
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology & Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, 5148507, Japan
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21
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Ziepert B, de Vries PW, Ufkes E. "Psyosphere": A GPS Data-Analysing Tool for the Behavioural Sciences. Front Psychol 2021; 12:538529. [PMID: 34054626 PMCID: PMC8155254 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.538529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Positioning technologies, such as GPS are widespread in society but are used only sparingly in behavioural science research, e.g., because processing positioning technology data can be cumbersome. The current work attempts to unlock positioning technology potential for behavioural science studies by developing and testing a research tool to analyse GPS tracks. This tool—psyosphere—is published as open-source software, and aims to extract behaviours from GPSs data that are more germane to behavioural research. Two field experiments were conducted to test application of the research tool. During these experiments, participants played a smuggling game, thereby either smuggling tokens representing illicit material past border guards or not. Results suggested that participants varied widely in variables, such as course and speed variability and distance from team members in response to the presence of border guards. Subsequent analyses showed that some of these GPS-derived behavioural variables could be linked to self-reported mental states, such as fear. Although more work needs to be done, the current study demonstrates that psyosphere may enable researchers to conduct behavioural experiments with positioning technology, outside of a laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Ziepert
- Department of Psychology of Conflict, Risk, and Safety, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
| | - Peter W de Vries
- Department of Psychology of Conflict, Risk, and Safety, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
| | - Elze Ufkes
- Department of Psychology of Conflict, Risk, and Safety, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
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22
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Barrick L, Overmann KM, LaBare J, Wu DTY. Keep your distance! Measuring staff physical distancing during the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic using a real-time locating system. Am J Emerg Med 2021; 49:110-113. [PMID: 34098329 PMCID: PMC8168304 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.05.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Staff-to-staff transmission of SARS-CoV-2 poses a significant risk to the Emergency Department (ED) workforce. We measured close (<6 ft), prolonged (>10 min) staff interactions in a busy pediatric Emergency Department in common work areas over time as the pandemic unfolded, measuring the effectiveness of interventions meant to discourage such close contact. Methods We used a Real-Time Locating System to measure staff groupings in crowded common work areas lasting ten or more minutes. We compared the number of these interactions pre-pandemic with those occurring early and then later in the pandemic, as distancing interventions were suggested and then formalized. Nearly all healthcare workers in the ED were included, and the duration of interactions over time were evaluated as well. Results and conclusions This study included a total of 12,386 pairs of staff-to-staff encounters over three time periods including just prior to the pandemic, early in the pandemic response, and later in the steady-state pandemic response. Pairs of staff averaged 0.89 high-risk interactions hourly prior to the pandemic, and this continued early in the pandemic with informal recommendations (0.80 high-risk pairs hourly). High-risk staff encounters fell significantly to 0.47 interactions per hour in the steady-state pandemic with formal distancing guidelines in place and decreased patient and staffing volumes. The duration of these encounters remained stable, near 16 min. Close contact between healthcare staff workers did significantly decrease with formal distancing guidelines, though some high-risk interactions remained, warranting additive protective measures such as universal masking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Barrick
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, USA.
| | - Kevin M Overmann
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, USA.
| | - Jonathan LaBare
- Department of Information Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.
| | - Danny T Y Wu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, USA; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, USA.
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Zuo F, Gao J, Kurkcu A, Yang H, Ozbay K, Ma Q. Reference-free video-to-real distance approximation-based urban social distancing analytics amid COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT & HEALTH 2021; 21:101032. [PMID: 36567866 PMCID: PMC9765816 DOI: 10.1016/j.jth.2021.101032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically reshaped urban travel patterns. In this research, we explore the relationship between "social distancing," a concept that has gained worldwide familiarity, and urban mobility during the pandemic. Understanding social distancing behavior will allow urban planners and engineers to better understand the new norm of urban mobility amid the pandemic, and what patterns might hold for individual mobility post-pandemic or in the event of a future pandemic. METHODS There are still few efforts to obtain precise information on social distancing patterns of pedestrians in urban environments. This is largely attributed to numerous burdens in safely deploying any effective field data collection approaches during the crisis. This paper aims to fill that gap by developing a data-driven analytical framework that leverages existing public video data sources and advanced computer vision techniques to monitor the evolution of social distancing patterns in urban areas. Specifically, the proposed framework develops a deep-learning approach with a pre-trained convolutional neural network to mine the massive amount of public video data captured in urban areas. Real-time traffic camera data collected in New York City (NYC) was used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of using the proposed approach to analyze pedestrian social distancing patterns. RESULTS The results show that microscopic pedestrian social distancing patterns can be quantified by using a generalized real-distance approximation method. The estimated distance between individuals can be compared to social distancing guidelines to evaluate policy compliance and effectiveness during a pandemic. Quantifying social distancing adherence will provide decision-makers with a better understanding of prevailing social contact challenges. It also provides insights into the development of response strategies and plans for phased reopening for similar future scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zuo
- C2SMART Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Jingqin Gao
- C2SMART Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Abdullah Kurkcu
- Ulteig, 5575 DTC Parkway, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, CO, 80111, USA
| | - Hong Yang
- Department of Computational Modeling and Simulation Engineering, Old Dominion University, 1117 ENGR & COMP SCI BLDG, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
| | - Kaan Ozbay
- C2SMART Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering & Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Qingyu Ma
- Department of Computational Modeling and Simulation Engineering, Old Dominion University, 1117 ENGR & COMP SCI BLDG, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
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24
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Xia H, Horn J, Piotrowska MJ, Sakowski K, Karch A, Tahir H, Kretzschmar M, Mikolajczyk R. Effects of incomplete inter-hospital network data on the assessment of transmission dynamics of hospital-acquired infections. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008941. [PMID: 33956787 PMCID: PMC8130968 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the year 2020, there were 105 different statutory insurance companies in Germany with heterogeneous regional coverage. Obtaining data from all insurance companies is challenging, so that it is likely that projects will have to rely on data not covering the whole population. Consequently, the study of epidemic spread in hospital referral networks using data-driven models may be biased. We studied this bias using data from three German regional insurance companies covering four federal states: AOK (historically “general local health insurance company”, but currently only the abbreviation is used) Lower Saxony (in Federal State of Lower Saxony), AOK Bavaria (in Bavaria), and AOK PLUS (in Thuringia and Saxony). To understand how incomplete data influence network characteristics and related epidemic simulations, we created sampled datasets by randomly dropping a proportion of patients from the full datasets and replacing them with random copies of the remaining patients to obtain scale-up datasets to the original size. For the sampled and scale-up datasets, we calculated several commonly used network measures, and compared them to those derived from the original data. We found that the network measures (degree, strength and closeness) were rather sensitive to incompleteness. Infection prevalence as an outcome from the applied susceptible-infectious-susceptible (SIS) model was fairly robust against incompleteness. At incompleteness levels as high as 90% of the original datasets the prevalence estimation bias was below 5% in scale-up datasets. Consequently, a coverage as low as 10% of the local population of the federal state population was sufficient to maintain the relative bias in prevalence below 10% for a wide range of transmission parameters as encountered in clinical settings. Our findings are reassuring that despite incomplete coverage of the population, German health insurance data can be used to study effects of patient traffic between institutions on the spread of pathogens within healthcare networks. Patterns of patients’ transfer between different hospitals contribute crucially to the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the health care system. To quantify this risk, network models can be applied. The estimated risk can be inaccurate in the case of incomplete data on hospital admissions, which can be a consequence of the multiplicity of insurance companies as it is the case in Germany. To develop a better understanding of how incompleteness of data affects network measures and the simulated spread of HAI, we compared those measures derived from sampled, scale-up and original data, based on hospitalization data from three AOK insurance companies. We found that common network measures were affected by incompleteness, but the simulated prevalence as a measure of epidemic spread in the network was robust over a large range of incompleteness proportions. Epidemics and the transition of the infectious diseases may be modelled on hospital data with a coverage as low as 10% of the local population, whilst maintaining accuracy to within 10% of the true population prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanjue Xia
- Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Center for Health Sciences, Medical School of the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
| | - Johannes Horn
- Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Center for Health Sciences, Medical School of the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
| | - Monika J. Piotrowska
- Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Konrad Sakowski
- Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - André Karch
- Institute for Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
| | - Hannan Tahir
- Julius Center for Health Sciences & Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Kretzschmar
- Julius Center for Health Sciences & Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rafael Mikolajczyk
- Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Center for Health Sciences, Medical School of the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
- * E-mail:
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25
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van Niekerk JM, Stein A, Doting MHE, Lokate M, Braakman-Jansen LMA, van Gemert-Pijnen JEWC. A spatiotemporal simulation study on the transmission of harmful microorganisms through connected healthcare workers in a hospital ward setting. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21:260. [PMID: 33711939 PMCID: PMC7953685 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-05954-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hand transmission of harmful microorganisms may lead to infections and poses a major threat to patients and healthcare workers in healthcare settings. The most effective countermeasure against these transmissions is the adherence to spatiotemporal hand hygiene policies, but adherence rates are relatively low and vary over space and time. The spatiotemporal effects on hand transmission and spread of these microorganisms for varying hand hygiene compliance levels are unknown. This study aims to (1) identify a healthcare worker occupancy group of potential super-spreaders and (2) quantify spatiotemporal effects on the hand transmission and spread of harmful microorganisms for varying levels of hand hygiene compliance caused by this group. Methods Spatiotemporal data were collected in a hospital ward of an academic hospital using radio frequency identification technology for 7 days. A potential super-spreader healthcare worker occupation group was identified using the frequency identification sensors’ contact data. The effects of five probability distributions of hand hygiene compliance and three harmful microorganism transmission rates were simulated using a dynamic agent-based simulation model. The effects of initial simulation assumptions on the simulation results were quantified using five risk outcomes. Results Nurses, doctors and patients are together responsible for 81.13% of all contacts. Nurses made up 70.68% of all contacts, which is more than five times that of doctors (10.44%). This identifies nurses as the potential super-spreader healthcare worker occupation group. For initial simulation conditions of extreme lack of hand hygiene compliance (5%) and high transmission rates (5% per contact moment), a colonised nurse can transfer microbes to three of the 17 healthcare worker or patients encountered during the 98.4 min of visiting 23 rooms while colonised. The harmful microorganism transmission potential for nurses is higher during weeknights (5 pm – 7 am) and weekends as compared to weekdays (7 am – 5 pm). Conclusion Spatiotemporal behaviour and social mixing patterns of healthcare can change the expected number of hand transmissions and spread of harmful microorganisms by super-spreaders in a closed healthcare setting. These insights can be used to evaluate spatiotemporal safety behaviours and develop infection prevention and control strategies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-021-05954-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M van Niekerk
- Department of Psychology, Health and Technology/Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. .,Department of Earth Observation Sciences, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. .,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - A Stein
- Department of Earth Observation Sciences, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - M H E Doting
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - M Lokate
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - L M A Braakman-Jansen
- Department of Psychology, Health and Technology/Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - J E W C van Gemert-Pijnen
- Department of Psychology, Health and Technology/Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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26
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Leal Neto O, Haenni S, Phuka J, Ozella L, Paolotti D, Cattuto C, Robles D, Lichand G. Combining Wearable Devices and Mobile Surveys to Study Child and Youth Development in Malawi: Implementation Study of a Multimodal Approach. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021; 7:e23154. [PMID: 33536159 PMCID: PMC7980111 DOI: 10.2196/23154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multimodal approaches have been shown to be a promising way to collect data on child development at high frequency, combining different data inputs (from phone surveys to signals from noninvasive biomarkers) to understand children's health and development outcomes more integrally from multiple perspectives. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work was to describe an implementation study using a multimodal approach combining noninvasive biomarkers, social contact patterns, mobile surveying, and face-to-face interviews in order to validate technologies that help us better understand child development in poor countries at a high frequency. METHODS We carried out a mixed study based on a transversal descriptive analysis and a longitudinal prospective analysis in Malawi. In each village, children were sampled to participate in weekly sessions in which data signals were collected through wearable devices (electrocardiography [ECG] hand pads and electroencephalography [EEG] headbands). Additionally, wearable proximity sensors to elicit the social network were deployed among children and their caregivers. Mobile surveys using interactive voice response calls were also used as an additional layer of data collection. An end-line face-to-face survey was conducted at the end of the study. RESULTS During the implementation, 82 EEG/ECG data entry points were collected across four villages. The sampled children for EEG/ECG were 0 to 5 years old. EEG/ECG data were collected once a week. In every session, children wore the EEG headband for 5 minutes and the ECG hand pad for 3 minutes. In total, 3531 calls were sent over 5 weeks, with 2291 participants picking up the calls and 984 of those answering the consent question. In total, 585 people completed the surveys over the course of 5 weeks. CONCLUSIONS This study achieved its objective of demonstrating the feasibility of generating data through the unprecedented use of a multimodal approach for tracking child development in Malawi, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. Above and beyond its multiple dimensions, the dynamics of child development are complex. It is the case not only that no data stream in isolation can accurately characterize it, but also that even if combined, infrequent data might miss critical inflection points and interactions between different conditions and behaviors. In turn, combining different modes at a sufficiently high frequency allows researchers to make progress by considering contact patterns, reported symptoms and behaviors, and critical biomarkers all at once. This application showcases that even in developing countries facing multiple constraints, complementary technologies can leverage and accelerate the digitalization of health, bringing benefits to populations that lack new tools for understanding child well-being and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onicio Leal Neto
- Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Haenni
- Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John Phuka
- College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | | | | | - Ciro Cattuto
- ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Daniel Robles
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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27
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Kawamoto E, Ito-Masui A, Esumi R, Ito M, Mizutani N, Hayashi T, Imai H, Shimaoka M. Social Network Analysis of Intensive Care Unit Health Care Professionals Measured by Wearable Sociometric Badges: Longitudinal Observational Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e23184. [PMID: 33258785 PMCID: PMC7808885 DOI: 10.2196/23184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Use of wearable sensor technology for studying human teamwork behavior is expected to generate a better understanding of the interprofessional interactions between health care professionals. Objective We used wearable sociometric sensor badges to study how intensive care unit (ICU) health care professionals interact and are socially connected. Methods We studied the face-to-face interaction data of 76 healthcare professionals in the ICU at Mie University Hospital collected over 4 weeks via wearable sensors. Results We detail the spatiotemporal distributions of staff members’ inter- and intraprofessional active face-to-face interactions, thereby generating a comprehensive visualization of who met whom, when, where, and for how long in the ICU. Social network analysis of these active interactions, concomitant with centrality measurements, revealed that nurses constitute the core members of the network, while doctors remain in the periphery. Conclusions Our social network analysis using the comprehensive ICU interaction data obtained by wearable sensors has revealed the leading roles played by nurses within the professional communication network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Kawamoto
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Asami Ito-Masui
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Ryo Esumi
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan.,Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Mami Ito
- Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Noriko Mizutani
- Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Tomoyo Hayashi
- Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Imai
- Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan
| | - Motomu Shimaoka
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu-City, Japan
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28
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Müller J, Kretzschmar M. Contact tracing - Old models and new challenges. Infect Dis Model 2020; 6:222-231. [PMID: 33506153 PMCID: PMC7806945 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2020.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Contact tracing is an effective method to control emerging infectious diseases. Since the 1980's, modellers are developing a consistent theory for contact tracing, with the aim to find effective and efficient implementations, and to assess the effects of contact tracing on the spread of an infectious disease. Despite the progress made in the area, there remain important open questions. In addition, technological developments, especially in the field of molecular biology (genetic sequencing of pathogens) and modern communication (digital contact tracing), have posed new challenges for the modelling community. In the present paper, we discuss modelling approaches for contact tracing and identify some of the current challenges for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Müller
- Mathematical Institute, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching, Germany
- Institute for Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Mirjam Kretzschmar
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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29
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Kawamoto E, Ito-Masui A, Esumi R, Imai H, Shimaoka M. How ICU Patient Severity Affects Communicative Interactions Between Healthcare Professionals: A Study Utilizing Wearable Sociometric Badges. Front Med (Lausanne) 2020; 7:606987. [PMID: 33344484 PMCID: PMC7744931 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2020.606987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous factors affecting the interactions between healthcare professionals in the workplace demand a comprehensive understanding if the quality of patient healthcare is to be improved. Our previous cross-sectional analysis showed that patient severity scores [i.e., Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II] in the 24 h following admission positively correlated with the length of the face-to-face interactions among ICU healthcare professionals. The present study aims to address how the relationships between patient severity and interaction lengths can change over a period of time during both admission and treatment in the ICU. We retrospectively analyzed data prospectively collected between 19 February to 17 March 2016 from an open ICU in a University Hospital in Japan. We used wearable sensors to collect a spatiotemporal distribution dataset documenting the face-to-face interactions between ICU healthcare professionals, which involved 76 ICU staff members, each of whom worked for 160 h, on average, during the 4-week period of data collection. We studied the longitudinal relationships among these interactions, which occurred at the patient bedside, vis-à-vis the severity of the patient's condition [i.e., the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score] assessed every 24 h. On Day 1, during which a total of 117 patients stayed in the ICU, we found statistically significant positive associations between the interaction lengths and their SOFA scores, as shown by the Spearman's correlation coefficient value (R) of 0.447 (p < 0.01). During the course of our observation from Day 1 to Day 10, the number of patients (N) who stayed in the ICU gradually decreased (N = 117, Day1; N = 10, Day 10), as they either were discharged or died. The statistically significant positive associations of the interaction lengths with the SOFA scores disappeared from Days 2 to 6, but re-emerged on Day 7 (R = 0.620, p < 0.05) and Day 8 (R = 0.625, p < 0.05), then disappearing again on Days 9 and 10. Whereas all 6 SOFA sub-scores correlated well with the interaction lengths on Day 1, only a few of the sub-scores (coagulation, cardiovascular, and central nervous system scores) did so; specifically, those on Days 7 and 8. The results suggest that patient severity may play an important role in affecting the interactions between ICU healthcare professionals in a time-related manner on ICU Day 1 and on Days 7/8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Kawamoto
- Departments of Molecular and Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.,Departments of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Asami Ito-Masui
- Departments of Molecular and Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.,Departments of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Ryo Esumi
- Departments of Molecular and Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.,Departments of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Imai
- Departments of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Motomu Shimaoka
- Departments of Molecular and Pathobiology and Cell Adhesion Biology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
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Survey of Decentralized Solutions with Mobile Devices for User Location Tracking, Proximity Detection, and Contact Tracing in the COVID-19 Era. DATA 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/data5040087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Some of the recent developments in data science for worldwide disease control have involved research of large-scale feasibility and usefulness of digital contact tracing, user location tracking, and proximity detection on users’ mobile devices or wearables. A centralized solution relying on collecting and storing user traces and location information on a central server can provide more accurate and timely actions than a decentralized solution in combating viral outbreaks, such as COVID-19. However, centralized solutions are more prone to privacy breaches and privacy attacks by malevolent third parties than decentralized solutions, storing the information in a distributed manner among wireless networks. Thus, it is of timely relevance to identify and summarize the existing privacy-preserving solutions, focusing on decentralized methods, and analyzing them in the context of mobile device-based localization and tracking, contact tracing, and proximity detection. Wearables and other mobile Internet of Things devices are of particular interest in our study, as not only privacy, but also energy-efficiency, targets are becoming more and more critical to the end-users. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of user location-tracking, proximity-detection, and digital contact-tracing solutions in the literature from the past two decades, analyses their advantages and drawbacks concerning centralized and decentralized solutions, and presents the authors’ thoughts on future research directions in this timely research field.
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31
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Zhang N, Chen W, Chan PT, Yen HL, Tang JWT, Li Y. Close contact behavior in indoor environment and transmission of respiratory infection. INDOOR AIR 2020; 30:645-661. [PMID: 32259319 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Close contact was first identified as the primary route of transmission for most respiratory infections in the early 20th century. In this review, we synthesize the existing understanding of the mechanisms of close contact transmission. We focus on two issues: the mechanism of transmission in close contact, namely the transmission of the expired particles between two people, and the physical parameters of close contact that affect the exposure of particles from one individual to another, or how the nature of close contact plays a role in transmission. We propose the existence of three sub-routes of transmission: short-range airborne, large droplets, and immediate body-surface contact. We also distinguish a "body contact," which is defined with an interpersonal distance of zero, from a close contact. We demonstrate herein that the short-range airborne sub-route may be most common. The timescales over which data should be collected to assess the transmission risk during close contact events are much shorter than those required for the distant airborne or fomite routes. The current paucity of high-resolution data over short distances and timescales makes it very difficult to assess the risk of infection in these circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenzhao Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Pak-To Chan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hui-Ling Yen
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Julian Wei-Tze Tang
- Clinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
- Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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32
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The How Matters: How Primary Care Provider Communication With Team Relates to Patients' Disease Management. Med Care 2020; 58:643-650. [PMID: 32520838 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating primary care provider (PCP)-team communication can provide insight into how colleagues work together to become high-functioning teams more able to address an increasingly complex set of tasks associated with chronic disease management. OBJECTIVE To assess how PCP communication with their care team relates to patients' health. RESEARCH DESIGN Longitudinal study of how 3 aspects of PCP-care team communication-participation, time spent listening, and uninterrupted speaking length-relate to disease management of patients with hypertension or diabetes, and the effect of these team communication behaviors on PCP-patient communication as a pathway by which this relationship might exist. We used multilevel regression models. SUBJECTS Twenty-seven PCPs and 98 team members, and 18,067 patients with hypertension and 8354 patients with diabetes affiliated with a federally qualified health center with 12 practice sites. MEASURES Primary data on communication collected using sociometric sensors worn by PCPs and team members, patient-PCP communication data collected with surveys, and patient health, PCP and patient characteristics extracted from electronic records. RESULTS PCPs participated in 75% of care team conversations, spent 56% of conversation time listening, and had an average uninterrupted speaking length of 2.42 seconds. PCP participation, listening, and length of uninterrupted speaking time were associated with significantly higher odds that their patients had controlled hypertension and diabetes and improvements in disease control over time. PCP-patient communication mediates this relationship. CONCLUSIONS PCP-team communication is associated with patient health management. How team members speak with one another may be as important as the content of their communication.
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33
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Hernández-Orallo E, Manzoni P, Calafate CT, Cano JC. Evaluating How Smartphone Contact Tracing Technology Can Reduce the Spread of Infectious Diseases: The Case of COVID-19. IEEE ACCESS : PRACTICAL INNOVATIONS, OPEN SOLUTIONS 2020; 8:99083-99097. [PMID: 34192101 PMCID: PMC8043499 DOI: 10.1109/access.2020.2998042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Detecting and controlling the diffusion of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 is crucial to managing epidemics. One common measure taken to contain or reduce diffusion is to detect infected individuals and trace their prior contacts so as to then selectively isolate any individuals likely to have been infected. These prior contacts can be traced using mobile devices such as smartphones or smartwatches, which can continuously collect the location and contacts of their owners by using their embedded localisation and communications technologies, such as GPS, Cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of these technologies and determines the impact of contact tracing precision on the spread and control of infectious diseases. To this end, we have created an epidemic model that we used to evaluate the efficiency and cost (number of people quarantined) of the measures to be taken, depending on the smartphone contact tracing technologies used. Our results show that in order to be effective for the COVID-19 disease, the contact tracing technology must be precise, contacts must be traced quickly, and a significant percentage of the population must use the smartphone contact tracing application. These strict requirements make smartphone-based contact tracing rather ineffective at containing the spread of the infection during the first outbreak of the virus. However, considering a second wave, where a portion of the population will have gained immunity, or in combination with some other more lenient measures, smartphone-based contact tracing could be extremely useful.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pietro Manzoni
- Computer Engineering DepartmentUniversitat Politècnica de València46022ValenciaSpain
| | | | - Juan-Carlos Cano
- Computer Engineering DepartmentUniversitat Politècnica de València46022ValenciaSpain
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Ho HJ, Zhang ZX, Huang Z, Aung AH, Lim WY, Chow A. Use of a Real-Time Locating System for Contact Tracing of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic at an Infectious Disease Center in Singapore: Validation Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e19437. [PMID: 32412416 PMCID: PMC7252199 DOI: 10.2196/19437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In early 2020, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged and spread by community and nosocomial transmission. Effective contact tracing of potentially exposed health care workers is crucial for the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks in the health care setting. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic through the real-time locating system (RTLS) and review of the electronic medical record (EMR) at the designated hospital for COVID-19 response in Singapore. METHODS Over a 2-day study period, all admitted patients with COVID-19, their ward locations, and the health care workers rostered to each ward were identified to determine the total number of potential contacts between patients with COVID-19 and health care workers. The numbers of staff-patient contacts determined by EMR reviews, RTLS-based contact tracing, and a combination of both methods were evaluated. The use of EMR-based and RTLS-based contact tracing methods was further validated by comparing their sensitivity and specificity against self-reported staff-patient contacts by health care workers. RESULTS Of 796 potential staff-patient contacts (between 17 patients and 162 staff members), 104 (13.1%) were identified by both the RTLS and EMR, 54 (6.8%) by the RTLS alone, and 99 (12.4%) by the EMR alone; 539 (67.7%) were not identified through either method. Compared to self-reported contacts, EMR reviews had a sensitivity of 47.2% and a specificity of 77.9%, while the RTLS had a sensitivity of 72.2% and a specificity of 87.7%. The highest sensitivity was obtained by including all contacts identified by either the RTLS or the EMR (sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 73.4%). CONCLUSIONS RTLS-based contact tracing showed higher sensitivity and specificity than EMR review. Integration of both methods provided the best performance for rapid contact tracing, although technical adjustments to the RTLS and increasing user compliance with wearing of RTLS tags remain necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanley J Ho
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Zoe Xiaozhu Zhang
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Zhilian Huang
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Aung Hein Aung
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Wei-Yen Lim
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Angela Chow
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Office of Clinical Epidemiology, Analytics, and Knowledge (OCEAN), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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35
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Klein EY, Tseng KK, Hinson J, Goodman KE, Smith A, Toerper M, Amoah J, Tamma PD, Levin SR, Milstone AM. The Role of Healthcare Worker-Mediated Contact Networks in the Transmission of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci. Open Forum Infect Dis 2020; 7:ofaa056. [PMID: 32166095 PMCID: PMC7060899 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND User- and time-stamped data from hospital electronic health records (EHRs) present opportunities to evaluate how healthcare worker (HCW)-mediated contact networks impact transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens, such as vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of incident acquisitions of VRE between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018. Clinical and demographic patient data were extracted from the hospital EHR system, including all recorded HCW contacts with patients. Contacts by an HCW with 2 different patients within 1 hour was considered a "connection". Incident VRE acquisition was determined by positive clinical or surveillance cultures collected ≥72 hours after a negative surveillance culture. RESULTS There were 2952 hospitalizations by 2364 patients who had ≥2 VRE surveillance swabs, 112 (4.7%) patients of which had incident nosocomial acquisitions. Patients had a median of 24 (interquartile range [IQR], 18-33) recorded HCW contacts per day, 9 (IQR, 5-16) of which, or approximately 40%, were connections that occurred <1 hour after another patient contact. Patients that acquired VRE had a higher average number of daily connections to VRE-positive patients (3.1 [standard deviation {SD}, 2.4] versus 2.0 [SD, 2.1]). Controlling for other risk factors, connection to a VRE-positive patient was associated with increased odds of acquiring VRE (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.39-1.92). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that EHR data can be used to quantify the impact of HCW-mediated patient connections on transmission of VRE in the hospital. Defining incident acquisition risk of multidrug-resistant organisms through HCWs connections from EHR data in real-time may aid implementation and evaluation of interventions to contain their spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eili Y Klein
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Katie K Tseng
- Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Jeremiah Hinson
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Katherine E Goodman
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Aria Smith
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Matt Toerper
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joe Amoah
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Pranita D Tamma
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Scott R Levin
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Zhang N, Su B, Chan PT, Miao T, Wang P, Li Y. Infection Spread and High-Resolution Detection of Close Contact Behaviors. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E1445. [PMID: 32102305 PMCID: PMC7068293 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17041445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of human behaviors is important for improving indoor-environment design, building-energy efficiency, and productivity, and for studies of infection spread. However, such data are lacking. In this study, we designed a device for detecting and recording, second by second, the 3D indoor positioning and head and body motions of each graduate student in an office. From more than 400 person hours of data. Students spent 92.2%, 4.1%, 2.9%, and 0.8% of their time in their own office cubicles, other office cubicles, aisles, and areas near public facilities, respectively. They spent 9.7% of time in close contact, and each student averagely had 4.0 close contacts/h. Students spent long time on close contact in the office which may lead to high infection risk. The average interpersonal distance during close contact was 0.81 m. When sitting, students preferred small relative face orientation angle. Pairs of standing students preferred a face-to-face orientation during close contact which means this pattern had a lower infection risk via close contact. Probability of close contact decreased exponentially with the increasing distance between two students' cubicles. Data on human behaviour during close contact is helpful for infection risk analysis and infection control and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.Z.); (P.-T.C.); (T.M.); (P.W.)
| | - Boni Su
- China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, Beijing 100120, China;
| | - Pak-To Chan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.Z.); (P.-T.C.); (T.M.); (P.W.)
| | - Te Miao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.Z.); (P.-T.C.); (T.M.); (P.W.)
| | - Peihua Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.Z.); (P.-T.C.); (T.M.); (P.W.)
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.Z.); (P.-T.C.); (T.M.); (P.W.)
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37
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Guo S, Yu J, Shi X, Wang H, Xie F, Gao X, Jiang M. Droplet-Transmitted Infection Risk Ranking Based on Close Proximity Interaction. Front Neurorobot 2020; 13:113. [PMID: 32038220 PMCID: PMC6985151 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2019.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose an automatic method to identify people who are potentially-infected by droplet-transmitted diseases. This high-risk group of infection was previously identified by conducting large-scale visits/interviews, or manually screening among tons of recorded surveillance videos. Both are time-intensive and most likely to delay the control of communicable diseases like influenza. In this paper, we address this challenge by solving a multi-tasking problem from the captured surveillance videos. This multi-tasking framework aims to model the principle of Close Proximity Interaction and thus infer the infection risk of individuals. The complete workflow includes three essential sub-tasks: (1) person re-identification (REID), to identify the diagnosed patient and infected individuals across different cameras, (2) depth estimation, to provide a spatial knowledge of the captured environment, (3) pose estimation, to evaluate the distance between the diagnosed and potentially-infected subjects. Our method significantly reduces the time and labor costs. We demonstrate the advantages of high accuracy and efficiency of our method. Our method is expected to be effective in accelerating the process of identifying the potentially infected group and ultimately contribute to the well-being of public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihui Guo
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jubo Yu
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xinyu Shi
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hongran Wang
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Feibin Xie
- Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xing Gao
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Min Jiang
- School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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38
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Abstract
Face-to-face interactions are important for a variety of individual behaviors and outcomes. In recent years, a number of human sensor technologies have been proposed to incorporate direct observations in behavioral studies of face-to-face interactions. One of the most promising emerging technologies is the application of active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) badges. They are increasingly applied in behavioral studies because of their low costs, straightforward applicability, and moderate ethical concerns. However, despite the attention that RFID badges have recently received, there is a lack of systematic tests on how valid RFID badges are in measuring face-to-face interactions. With two studies, we aim to fill this gap. Study 1 (N = 11) compares how data assessed with RFID badges correspond with video data of the same interactions (construct validity) and how this fit can be improved using straightforward data processing strategies. The analyses show that the RFID badges have a sensitivity of 50%, which can be enhanced to 65% when flickering signals with gaps of less than 75 s are interpolated. The specificity is relatively less affected by this interpolation process (before interpolation 97%, after interpolation 94.7%)-resulting in an improved accuracy of the measurement. In Study 2 (N = 73) we show that self-report data of social interactions correspond highly with data gathered with the RFID badges (criterion validity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Timon Elmer
- Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Weinbergstrasse 109, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Krishna Chaitanya
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, ETH Zürich, Sternwartstrasse 7, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Prateek Purwar
- Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Weinbergstrasse 109, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Stadtfeld
- Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Weinbergstrasse 109, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
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39
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Kiti MC, Melegaro A, Cattuto C, Nokes DJ. Study design and protocol for investigating social network patterns in rural and urban schools and households in a coastal setting in Kenya using wearable proximity sensors. Wellcome Open Res 2019; 4:84. [PMID: 31489381 PMCID: PMC6719676 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15268.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Social contact patterns shape the transmission of respiratory infections spread via close interactions. There is a paucity of observational data from schools and households, particularly in developing countries. Portable wireless sensors can record unbiased proximity events between individuals facing each other, shedding light on pathways of infection transmission. Design and methods: The aim is to characterize face-to-face contact patterns that may shape the transmission of respiratory infections in schools and households in Kilifi, Kenya. Two schools, one each from a rural and urban area, will be purposively selected. From each school, 350 students will be randomly selected proportional to class size and gender to participate. Nine index students from each school will be randomly selected and followed-up to their households. All index household residents will be recruited into the study. A further 3-5 neighbouring households will also be recruited to give a maximum of 350 participants per household setting. The sample size per site is limited by the number of sensors available for data collection. Each participant will wear a wireless proximity sensor lying on their chest area for 7 consecutive days. Data on proximal dyadic interactions will be collected automatically by the sensors only for participants who are face-to-face. Key characteristics of interest include the distribution of degree and the frequency and duration of contacts and their variation in rural and urban areas. These will be stratified by age, gender, role, and day of the week. Expected results: Resultant data will inform on social contact patterns in rural and urban areas of a previously unstudied population. Ensuing data will be used to parameterize mathematical simulation models of transmission of a range of respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, and used to explore the impact of intervention measures such as vaccination and social distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses Chapa Kiti
- Epidemiology and Demography Department, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, 80108, Kenya
| | - Alessia Melegaro
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
| | - Ciro Cattuto
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Turin, Italy
| | - David James Nokes
- Epidemiology and Demography Department, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, 80108, Kenya.,Zeeman Institute of Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Research, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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40
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Zhang N, Tang JW, Li Y. Human behavior during close contact in a graduate student office. INDOOR AIR 2019; 29:577-590. [PMID: 30908707 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Close contact is a part of daily life, and proximity is known to play a primary role in the transmission of many respiratory infections. However, there are no data on close contact parameters such as movement of the head/body and relative location, which can affect both expiration and inspiration flows. Using video cameras, we collected such data for nearly 63 000 seconds of total close contact duration in a graduate student office in Beijing, China. Each student had on average 9.6 close contacts per hour and spent 9.9% of their time participating in close contact interactions. Males made more body/head movements than females during close contact. The probability distribution of interpersonal distance follows a log-normal distribution. The average interpersonal distance was 0.67 m. Students preferred a relative face orientation angle between 15° and 45°. When the relative face orientation angle increased, the interpersonal distance increased. Students had a high probability (73%-97%) of maintaining their head, body, and relative position during close contact, while the probability of body/head or relative position changing from any location/angle to another is also given. These data may be used for assessment of infection risk via close contact in crowded indoor environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Julian W Tang
- Clinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
- Infection, Immunity, Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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41
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Mones E, Stopczynski A, Pentland A'S, Hupert N, Lehmann S. Optimizing targeted vaccination across cyber-physical networks: an empirically based mathematical simulation study. J R Soc Interface 2019; 15:rsif.2017.0783. [PMID: 29298957 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted vaccination, whether to minimize the forward transmission of infectious diseases or their clinical impact, is one of the 'holy grails' of modern infectious disease outbreak response, yet it is difficult to achieve in practice due to the challenge of identifying optimal targets in real time. If interruption of disease transmission is the goal, targeting requires knowledge of underlying person-to-person contact networks. Digital communication networks may reflect not only virtual but also physical interactions that could result in disease transmission, but the precise overlap between these cyber and physical networks has never been empirically explored in real-life settings. Here, we study the digital communication activity of more than 500 individuals along with their person-to-person contacts at a 5-min temporal resolution. We then simulate different disease transmission scenarios on the person-to-person physical contact network to determine whether cyber communication networks can be harnessed to advance the goal of targeted vaccination for a disease spreading on the network of physical proximity. We show that individuals selected on the basis of their closeness centrality within cyber networks (what we call 'cyber-directed vaccination') can enhance vaccination campaigns against diseases with short-range (but not full-range) modes of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enys Mones
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Arkadiusz Stopczynski
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.,Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Nathaniel Hupert
- Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Sune Lehmann
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark .,The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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42
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Kiti MC, Melegaro A, Cattuto C, Nokes DJ. Study design and protocol for investigating social network patterns in rural and urban schools and households in a coastal setting in Kenya using wearable proximity sensors. Wellcome Open Res 2019; 4:84. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15268.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Social contact patterns shape the transmission of respiratory infections spread via close interactions. There is a paucity of observational data from schools and households, particularly in developing countries. Portable wireless sensors can record unbiased proximity events between individuals facing each other, shedding light on pathways of infection transmission. Design and methods: The aim is to characterize face-to-face contact patterns that may shape the transmission of respiratory infections in schools and households in Kilifi, Kenya. Two schools, one each from a rural and urban area, will be purposively selected. From each school, 350 students will be randomly selected proportional to class size and gender to participate. Nine index students from each school will be randomly selected and followed-up to their households. All index household residents will be recruited into the study. A further 3-5 neighbouring households will also be recruited to give a maximum of 350 participants per household setting. The sample size per site is limited by the number of sensors available for data collection. Each participant will wear a wireless proximity sensor lying on their chest area for 7 consecutive days. Data on proximal dyadic interactions will be collected automatically by the sensors only for participants who are face-to-face. Key characteristics of interest include the distribution of degree and the frequency and duration of contacts and their variation in rural and urban areas. These will be stratified by age, gender, role, and day of the week. Expected results: Resultant data will inform on social contact patterns in rural and urban areas of a previously unstudied population. Ensuing data will be used to parameterize mathematical simulation models of transmission of a range of respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, and used to explore the impact of intervention measures such as vaccination and social distancing.
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43
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Ozella L, Gauvin L, Carenzo L, Quaggiotto M, Ingrassia PL, Tizzoni M, Panisson A, Colombo D, Sapienza A, Kalimeri K, Della Corte F, Cattuto C. Wearable Proximity Sensors for Monitoring a Mass Casualty Incident Exercise: Feasibility Study. J Med Internet Res 2019; 21:e12251. [PMID: 31025944 PMCID: PMC6658323 DOI: 10.2196/12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past several decades, naturally occurring and man-made mass casualty incidents (MCIs) have increased in frequency and number worldwide. To test the impact of such events on medical resources, simulations can provide a safe, controlled setting while replicating the chaotic environment typical of an actual disaster. A standardized method to collect and analyze data from mass casualty exercises is needed to assess preparedness and performance of the health care staff involved. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of using wearable proximity sensors to measure proximity events during an MCI simulation. In the first instance, our objective was to demonstrate how proximity sensors can collect spatial and temporal information about the interactions between medical staff and patients during an MCI exercise in a quasi-autonomous way. In addition, we assessed how the deployment of this technology could help improve future simulations by analyzing the flow of patients in the hospital. METHODS Data were obtained and collected through the deployment of wearable proximity sensors during an MCI functional exercise. The scenario included 2 areas: the accident site and the Advanced Medical Post, and the exercise lasted 3 hours. A total of 238 participants were involved in the exercise and classified in categories according to their role: 14 medical doctors, 16 nurses, 134 victims, 47 Emergency Medical Services staff members, and 27 health care assistants and other hospital support staff. Each victim was assigned a score related to the severity of his/her injury. Each participant wore a proximity sensor, and in addition, 30 fixed devices were placed in the field hospital. RESULTS The contact networks show a heterogeneous distribution of the cumulative time spent in proximity by the participants. We obtained contact matrices based on the cumulative time spent in proximity between the victims and rescuers. Our results showed that the time spent in proximity by the health care teams with the victims is related to the severity of the patient's injury. The analysis of patients' flow showed that the presence of patients in the rooms of the hospital is consistent with the triage code and diagnosis, and no obvious bottlenecks were found. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows the feasibility of the use of wearable sensors for tracking close contacts among individuals during an MCI simulation. It represents, to our knowledge, the first example of unsupervised data collection-ie, without the need for the involvement of observers, which could compromise the realism of the exercise-of face-to-face contacts during an MCI exercise. Moreover, by permitting detailed data collection about the simulation, such as data related to the flow of patients in the hospital, such deployment provides highly relevant input for the improvement of MCI resource allocation and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Ozella
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | - Laetitia Gauvin
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | - Luca Carenzo
- Department of Translational Medicine, Eastern Piedmont University, Novara, Italy.,Centro Interdipartimentale di Didattica Innovativa e di Simulazione in Medicina e Professioni Sanitarie SIMNOVA, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Quaggiotto
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy.,Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Pier Luigi Ingrassia
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Didattica Innovativa e di Simulazione in Medicina e Professioni Sanitarie SIMNOVA, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Michele Tizzoni
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | - André Panisson
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | - Davide Colombo
- Department of Translational Medicine, Eastern Piedmont University, Novara, Italy
| | - Anna Sapienza
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy.,University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute, Marina del Rey, CA, United States
| | - Kyriaki Kalimeri
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Ciro Cattuto
- Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Torino, Italy
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44
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Dawson DE, Farthing TS, Sanderson MW, Lanzas C. Transmission on empirical dynamic contact networks is influenced by data processing decisions. Epidemics 2019; 26:32-42. [PMID: 30528207 PMCID: PMC6613374 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic contact data can be used to inform disease transmission models, providing insight into the dynamics of infectious diseases. Such data often requires extensive processing for use in models or analysis. Therefore, processing decisions can potentially influence the topology of the contact network and the simulated disease transmission dynamics on the network. In this study, we examine how four processing decisions, including temporal sampling window (TSW), spatial threshold of contact (SpTh), minimum contact duration (MCD), and temporal aggregation (daily or hourly) influence the information content of contact data (indicated by changes in entropy) as well as disease transmission model dynamics. We found that changes made to information content by processing decisions translated to significant impacts to the transmission dynamics of disease models using the contact data. In particular, we found that SpTh had the largest independent influence on information content, and that some output metrics (R0, time to peak infection) were more sensitive to changes in information than others (epidemic extent). These findings suggest that insights gained from transmission modeling using dynamic contact data can be influenced by processing decisions alone, emphasizing the need to carefully consideration them prior to using contact-based models to conduct analyses, compare different datasets, or inform policy decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Dawson
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA.
| | - Trevor S Farthing
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Michael W Sanderson
- Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Cristina Lanzas
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
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Kohrt BA, Rai S, Vilakazi K, Thapa K, Bhardwaj A, van Heerden A. Procedures to Select Digital Sensing Technologies for Passive Data Collection With Children and Their Caregivers: Qualitative Cultural Assessment in South Africa and Nepal. JMIR Pediatr Parent 2019; 2:e12366. [PMID: 31518316 PMCID: PMC6716492 DOI: 10.2196/12366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Populations in low-resource settings with high childhood morbidity and mortality increasingly are being selected as beneficiaries for interventions using passive sensing data collection through digital technologies. However, these populations often have limited familiarity with the processes and implications of passive data collection. Therefore, methods are needed to identify cultural norms and family preferences influencing the uptake of new technologies. OBJECTIVE Before introducing a new device or a passive data collection approach, it is important to determine what will be culturally acceptable and feasible. The objective of this study was to develop a systematic approach to determine acceptability and perceived utility of potential passive data collection technologies to inform selection and piloting of a device. To achieve this, we developed the Qualitative Cultural Assessment of Passive Data collection Technology (QualCAPDT). This approach is built upon structured elicitation tasks used in cultural anthropology. METHODS We piloted QualCAPDT using focus group discussions (FGDs), video demonstrations of simulated technology use, attribute rating with anchoring vignettes, and card ranking procedures. The procedure was used to select passive sensing technologies to evaluate child development and caregiver mental health in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and Kathmandu, Nepal. Videos were produced in South Africa and Nepal to demonstrate the technologies and their potential local application. Structured elicitation tasks were administered in FGDs after showing the videos. Using QualCAPDT, we evaluated the following 5 technologies: home-based video recording, mobile device capture of audio, a wearable time-lapse camera attached to the child, proximity detection through a wearable passive Bluetooth beacon attached to the child, and an indoor environmental sensor measuring air quality. RESULTS In South Africa, 38 community health workers, health organization leaders, and caregivers participated in interviews and FGDs with structured elicitation tasks. We refined the procedure after South Africa to make the process more accessible for low-literacy populations in Nepal. In addition, the refined procedure reduced misconceptions about the tools being evaluated. In Nepal, 69 community health workers and caregivers participated in a refined QualCAPDT. In both countries, the child's wearable time-lapse camera achieved many of the target attributes. Participants in Nepal also highly ranked a home-based environmental sensor and a proximity beacon worn by the child. CONCLUSIONS The QualCAPDT procedure can be used to identify community norms and preferences to facilitate the selection of potential passive data collection strategies and devices. QualCAPDT is an important first step before selecting devices and piloting passive data collection in a community. It is especially important for work with caregivers and young children for whom cultural beliefs and shared family environments strongly determine behavior and potential uptake of new technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Kohrt
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Global Health, Milken School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.,Research Department, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Sauharda Rai
- Research Department, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.,Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Khanya Vilakazi
- Research Department, Human Sciences Research Council, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Kiran Thapa
- Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Anvita Bhardwaj
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Alastair van Heerden
- Human and Social Development, Human Sciences Research Council, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.,Medical Research Council/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Darbon A, Colombi D, Valdano E, Savini L, Giovannini A, Colizza V. Disease persistence on temporal contact networks accounting for heterogeneous infectious periods. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181404. [PMID: 30800384 PMCID: PMC6366198 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The infectious period of a transmissible disease is a key factor for disease spread and persistence. Epidemic models on networks typically assume an identical average infectious period for all individuals, thus allowing an analytical treatment. This simplifying assumption is, however, often unrealistic, as hosts may have different infectious periods, due, for instance, to individual host-pathogen interactions or inhomogeneous access to treatment. While previous work accounted for this heterogeneity in static networks, a full theoretical understanding of the interplay of varying infectious periods and time-evolving contacts is still missing. Here, we consider a susceptible-infectious-susceptible epidemic on a temporal network with host-specific average infectious periods, and develop an analytical framework to estimate the epidemic threshold, i.e. the critical transmissibility for disease spread in the host population. Integrating contact data for transmission with outbreak data and epidemiological estimates, we apply our framework to three real-world case studies exploring different epidemic contexts-the persistence of bovine tuberculosis in southern Italy, the spread of nosocomial infections in a hospital, and the diffusion of pandemic influenza in a school. We find that the homogeneous parametrization may cause important biases in the assessment of the epidemic risk of the host population. Our approach is also able to identify groups of hosts mostly responsible for disease diffusion who may be targeted for prevention and control, aiding public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Darbon
- INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique (IPLESP), 75012 Paris, France
| | - Davide Colombi
- INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique (IPLESP), 75012 Paris, France
| | - Eugenio Valdano
- Departament d’Enginyeria Informàtica i Matemàtiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007, Spain
| | - Lara Savini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Teramo 64100, Italy
| | - Armando Giovannini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Teramo 64100, Italy
| | - Vittoria Colizza
- INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique (IPLESP), 75012 Paris, France
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Jeong S, Kuk S, Kim H. A Smartphone Magnetometer-Based Diagnostic Test for Automatic Contact Tracing in Infectious Disease Epidemics. IEEE ACCESS : PRACTICAL INNOVATIONS, OPEN SOLUTIONS 2019; 7:20734-20747. [PMID: 34192097 PMCID: PMC7309220 DOI: 10.1109/access.2019.2895075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Smartphone magnetometer readings exhibit high linear correlation when two phones coexist within a short distance. Thus, the detected coexistence can serve as a proxy for close human contact events, and one can conceive using it as a possible automatic tool to modernize the contact tracing in infectious disease epidemics. This paper investigates how good a diagnostic test it would be, by evaluating the discriminative and predictive power of the smartphone magnetometer-based contact detection in multiple measures. Based on the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratios, we find that the decision made by the smartphone magnetometer-based test can be accurate in telling contacts from no contacts. Furthermore, through the evaluation process, we determine the appropriate range of compared trace segment sizes and the correlation cutoff values that we should use in such diagnostic tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungyeon Jeong
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841South Korea
| | - Seungho Kuk
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841South Korea
| | - Hyogon Kim
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841South Korea
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Chen H, Yang B, Pei H, Liu J. Next Generation Technology for Epidemic Prevention and Control: Data-Driven Contact Tracking. IEEE ACCESS : PRACTICAL INNOVATIONS, OPEN SOLUTIONS 2018; 7:2633-2642. [PMID: 32391236 PMCID: PMC7176034 DOI: 10.1109/access.2018.2882915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Contact tracking is one of the key technologies in prevention and control of infectious diseases. In the face of a sudden infectious disease outbreak, contact tracking systems can help medical professionals quickly locate and isolate infected persons and high-risk individuals, preventing further spread and a large-scale outbreak of infectious disease. Furthermore, the transmission networks of infectious diseases established using contact tracking technology can aid in the visualization of actual virus transmission paths, which enables simulations and predictions of the transmission process, assessment of the outbreak trend, and further development and deployment of more effective prevention and control strategies. Exploring effective contact tracking methods will be significant. Governments, academics, and industries have all given extensive attention to this goal. In this paper, we review the developments and challenges of current contact tracing technologies regarding individual and group contact from both static and dynamic perspectives, including static individual contact tracing, dynamic individual contact tracing, static group contact tracing, and dynamic group contact tracing. With the purpose of providing useful reference and inspiration for researchers and practitioners in related fields, directions in multi-view contact tracing, multi-scale contact tracing, and AI-based contact tracing are provided for next-generation technologies for epidemic prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hechang Chen
- College of Computer Science and TechnologyJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of EducationJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
| | - Bo Yang
- College of Computer Science and TechnologyJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of EducationJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
| | - Hongbin Pei
- College of Computer Science and TechnologyJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of EducationJilin UniversityChangchun130012China
| | - Jiming Liu
- Department of Computer ScienceHong Kong Baptist UniversityHong Kong
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49
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Rutherford JS. Monitoring teamwork: a narrative review. Anaesthesia 2018; 72 Suppl 1:84-94. [PMID: 28044332 DOI: 10.1111/anae.13744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
A narrative review was carried out to identify articles on monitoring of teamwork, with particular relevance to anaesthetists. The papers reviewed showed that team monitoring takes place both implicitly and explicitly in the anaesthetic environment. No single optimal model of teamwork monitoring for all situations was identified. Most of the studies identified were of a pre-intervention, post-intervention design, without randomisation or control group. Information shared during a formal briefing is more likely to be recalled, and provides a basis for a shared team mental model. A number of studies appeared to show that targeted teamwork training has a positive impact on both teamwork and patient safety.
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