Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Skin-to-Thing Devices Role in Reducing Risk as well as Supporting Detection and Treatment during COVID 19 Pandemic

Edith Bianchi^* Department of Virology, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
^*Correspondence: Edith Bianchi, Department of Virology, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel, Email:

Received: 20-Jul-2020, Manuscript No. CMO-24-5482; Editor assigned: 23-Jul-2020, Pre QC No. CMO-24-5482 (PQ); Reviewed: 06-Aug-2020, QC No. CMO-24-5482; Revised: 01-Aug-2024, Manuscript No. CMO-24-5482 (R); Published: 29-Aug-2024, DOI: 10.35248/2327-5073.24.13.403

Introduction

In this social distance era we all live in, the use of wearable medical devices is even more crucial [1]. These are enabling early detection by monitoring vital signs and can even provide protection and self-care. High-risk populations, such as elderly or patients with suppressed immune system, need to cope safely and effectively with their underlying chronic diseases and medical conditions [2].

Instead of going to clinics and hospitals, where they might be exposed to health risks and where they will need the assistance of professional medical staff, these patients must be able to receive the treatments in the safety of their homes or in isolated sites. They can check their heart, blood pressure or even heart arrhythmias and inject their medication on their own, using drug-delivery-devices such as infusion-pumps [3].

One very relevant example is the case of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and other immunosuppressive drugs. These patients are extremely vulnerable and prone to suffer from invaders and infections, as their immune system is weakened by the oncological treatments. They are exposed to their own bodies turning against them when the natural gut flora can become violent and also can easily catch hospital’s infections. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, many of these patients had to miss treatments as they were anxious to visit the wards. Some hospitals had to transform their oncology wards, in light of the need for isolated COVID-19 treatment areas [4].

Description

An excellent solution for such patients is found in the home monitoring systems which are using wearable patches and sensors to evaluate their condition. At the same time, these patients are receiving their treatments via infusion pumps which are attached to their body and automatically inject their medications. All is done in the comfort and safety of the patient’s home. The psychological added value of this home care system can be found in some cases when patients can remain with their loved ones in their natural environment. They don’t have to experience anxiety while visiting the hospital and can still feel safe knowing they are monitored and treated by reliable devices [5].

Doing so is not only keeping them safe but also reducing the burden on medical staff and cutting costs.

Another significant outcome in easing the burden on medical staff, is having them less exposed to potential virus infected patients, maintaining their safety and the health system functionality these days.

Technology is no longer a nice-to-have luxury. In today’s reality the use of technology, wearable devices and digital health, is in fact a crucial mean in fighting pandemics. Such devices can detect early signs of contamination, such as temperature sensors and they may also assist in breaking the chain of virus spread.

More than this, the tech solutions are providing adequate and efficient care for chronic disease patients, while at the same time it is optimizing medical staff work and reducing the risk of exposure both to the medical teams and patients.

To make all this happen, many of the wearable medical devices, require a reliable interface to the skin what we at Med-S2T call: ‘Skin-to-thing’ solution [6].

The challenge of attaching the device to the skin in a conformable manner, while using medical grade materials, is critical to the success the product. Such tailored solutions require a multidisciplinary approach and firm understanding of clinical aspects. They also require comprehensive knowledge and experience with biocompatible materials, usability challenges and the right spectrum of manufacturing technologies.

This notion and understanding is indeed more present than previous years, yet still very often, developers are not entirely aware of the challenges and obstacles which they might encounter in the attachment of their device to the human body.

It is mandatory to remember that the skin-our largest organ is a living thing. Having a material connected to our skin can present challenges such as skin irritation, redness and even extreme harmful situation such as skin tearing, infection and maceration. If you ever had a band-aid on your finger, even for just a couple of hours, you may have probably noticed the skin state once the band-aid has been removed. Now, imagine the challenge of placing a device on an impaired skin of a baby or an elderly patient, a diabetic or a cancer patient. This challenge is amplified with certain extreme requirements such as heavy devices, long wearing time, humid conditions, hairy surface and many more factors [7].

I often explain to R and D and engineering teams that there is no ‘one-fits-all’ material or solution. Developers need to thoroughly consider the use scenarios and factors related for their device in order to make the right choices and decisions. They must make sure they efficiently deal with relevant questions such as.

• What will be the length of wearing time?
• Will the device be used in a hospital setting or in a community setting?
• Placed by the patient or by a care provider?
• Where will it be placed on the body?
• What is the device weight?
• And what about showers or swimming with it?

And we still didn’t start talking about the manufacturing aspects and cost-efficiency optimizations [8].

Developers should also consider the interaction between different materials and the variety of manufacturing methods and technologies. It is not impossible to find skin friendly material which once combined with another material, laminated or welded to a device, might change its properties and fail biocompatibility tests. It is essential to avoid such hurdles as these tests are an essential part of the regulatory process during development and need to be taken into consideration with awareness of false positive scenarios which sometime occur even when using medical grade materials.

Conclusion

Evidently, a huge lesson learnt from COVID-19 and passing weeks: When the pandemic is accelerating the need for quick development and prompt ‘go-to-market’, it is highly important to effectively address the critical pillar of skin-to-thing solution for wearable devices. COVID-19 and the challenges it has reinforced and created in daily leaving and medical care, requires all developers to minimize error in order to bring to the market desired devices which can influence coping with the virus outbreak.

References

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