CLEVELAND (April 20, 2020) — To protect health care workers, patients and families, and help flatten the curve of COVID-19’s progression, University Hospitals (UH), one of the largest health care systems in Ohio, will begin to expand the use of TempTraq from Blue Spark Technologies to specific areas within the UH health system.
“This technology was originally introduced to University Hospitals in 2016 by the UH Ventures and Innovation group, as Blue Spark was looking to validate the use of the TempTraq patches in the clinical setting. It’s worked very well at UH Seidman Cancer Center and we realized it could have an even bigger impact in the battle against COVID-19 if we started using in targeted University Hospitals locations and departments,” said David Sylvan, President of UH Ventures.
This single-use, disposable, wireless patch will continuously monitor the temperature of University Hospitals caregivers who are exposed to or caring for COVID-19 patients and opt into the program. The soft, comfortable patch monitors, records and wirelessly transmits real-time data for up to 72 hours. UH can remotely monitor caregivers’ temperatures through a dashboard with little-to-no direct contact, so medical professionals and support staff can deliver critical care to patients quickly, without interruption.
“Those delivering close-contact aid and medical treatment to patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are on the frontlines,” says Theodoros N. Teknos, M.D., President and Scientific Director, UH Seidman Cancer Center. “If they fall ill with COVID-19 symptoms, we face losing an essential line of defense against this disease and also risk infecting others, further perpetuating the problem. By continuously monitoring our health care workers’ temperatures rather than intermittently, we are better positioned to intervene quickly to ensure the safety and health of our caregivers’ and our patients.”
Caregivers caring for COVID-19 positive patients or those who have a high risk of exposure or known exposure will have the option to wear a TempTraq monitor. As soon as a fever is detected, the caregiver will be removed from common areas immediately. They will then report to a supervisor who will call an internal COVID -19 hotline to determine next steps of action.
“We are immensely thankful for the men and women who are working tirelessly to care for those inflicted with COVID-19,” says John Gannon, Blue Spark President and CEO. “And we’re grateful to be able to do our small part to protect them during such a difficult, uncertain time.”
TempTraq is supported by both patient- and clinician-facing mobile apps with data centrally stored on TempTraq connect, a HIPAA-compliant cloud service. Data monitoring is also available on the TempTraq Clinician web portal or routed directly to hospital EMRs. The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system. TempTraq is currently being used and implemented in hospitals across the US, Europe and Australia.
For more information about TempTraq, visit https://temptraq.healthcare.
About TempTraq
TempTraq®, Blue Spark Technologies’ patented innovation, is the only Bluetooth®, wearable temperature monitor in the form of a soft, comfortable patch that continuously, safely and comfortably monitors body temperature for up to 72 hours and sends alerts to Apple® or Android™ compatible mobile devices.
TempTraq Connect is the HIPAA-compliant cloud service supported by Google Healthcare Cloud Platform that enables patients and caregivers to monitor body temperature from anywhere. It can also directly integrate with healthcare provider electronic medical record (EMR) systems and nurse monitoring stations, providing a secure method of storing patient healthcare data. The system is FDA, CE and TGA cleared.
TempTraq has shown proven efficacy in the most demanding environments, including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, as well as several other leading hospitals. The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system. Headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, Blue Spark Technologies, Inc. is an innovator in wearable, medical device solutions.
About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio
Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women’s Hospital, Ohio’s only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women’s health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees.
Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org
Media contacts:
Jeannine Denholm
216.844.2555
Jeannine.Denholm@uhhospitals.org
Bill Rader
CG Life / TempTraq
+ 1 312 318 7054
brader@cglife.com