Feasibility, Acceptability, and Performance of a Continuous Temperature Monitor in Older Adults and Staff in Congregate-Living Facilities.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Residents of congregate-living facilities are susceptible to disability and mortality from infection given the presence of advanced age, multimorbidity, and frailty-as demonstrated in the recent COVID pandemic. This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and applicability of a continuous temperature monitoring device in a congregate-living facility with residents of independent living, assisted living, and their care-providing staff. We hypothesized that a wearable device compared with daily manual temperature assessment would be well tolerated and more effective at detecting temperature variances than current standard of care body temperature assessment. DESIGN: Feasibility study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Residents of assisted and independent living and staff of a retirement community. METHODS: Thirty-five participants, including residents in assisted- and independent-living facilities (25) and staff (10) were enrolled in a 90-day feasibility study and wore a continuous temperature sensor from March to July 2021. Primary outcomes included study completion, ability to reapply the sensor, temperature data acquisition, and data availability from the sensors. A secondary analysis of the temperature data involved comparing the method of obtaining temperature using the continuous monitoring device against standard of care using traditional manual thermometers. RESULTS: Overall, 91.3% of residents, who were in the study during the first reapplication, were able to apply the device without assistance (21 of 23), and 80% of resident participants completed the study (20 of 25). For staff participants, completion rates and reapplication rates were 100%. Data acquisition rates from the continuous temperature devices were much higher than manual temperatures. Four episodes of fever were detected by the devices; manual temperature checks did not identify these events. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Continuous temperature monitoring in an older adult population and the staff in congregate-living facilities is feasible and acceptable. This approach identified fever undetected by current standard of care indicating the capability of this device for earlier detection of fevers.