Abstract
Remote monitoring of vital signs in infectious patients minimizes the risks of viral transmissions to healthcare professionals. Donning face masks could reduce the risk of viral transmissions and is currently practiced in medical facilities. An acoustic-sensing device was attached to face masks to assist medical facilities in remotely monitoring patients’ respiration rate and wheeze occurrence. Usability and functionality studies of the modified face mask were evaluated on 16 healthy participants. Participants were blindfolded throughout the data collection process. Respiratory rates of the participants were evaluated for one minute. The wheeze detection algorithm was assessed by playing 176 wheezes and 176 normal breaths through a foam mannequin. No discomfort was reported from the participants who used the modified mask. The mean error of respiratory rate was found to be 2.0 ± 1.3 breath per minute. The overall accuracy of the wheeze detection algorithm was 91.9%. The microphone sensor that was first designed to be chest-worn has been proven versatile to be adopted as a mask attachment. The current findings support and suggest the use of the proposed mask attachment in medical facilities. This application can be especially helpful in managing a sudden influx of patients in the face of a pandemic.
Highlights
At the time of writing this article, the world is combating a pandemic, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
One of the two who reported the opposite said it may be due to the “tightness of the mask” worn on the unmodified mask
The results showed that the respiratory rate (RR) algorithm achieved an overall high accuracy among the 15 participants
Summary
At the time of writing this article, the world is combating a pandemic, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). New medical sub-industries such as telehealth have been widely and rapidly adopted as mainstream solutions [1,2]. Many technologies have extended the applications’ original intentions to help elevate the current situation, such as adopting wearable devices and mobile applications for patient tracking and remote clinics [3]. Donning face masks has become a new norm, both in and out of healthcare facilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends individuals to wear a face mask in all public places as a mid-term measure in combating the spread of COVID-19 [4]. Face masks of different varieties came under the spotlight of researchers, businesses, and consumers alike, scrutinizing their effectiveness in protecting the wearer from the virus or preventing the wearer from becoming a source of infection if, infected [5,6]
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