With the recent onset of the global pandemic, all facilities and workplaces need to take precautionary measures
This involves assessing and screening each person and staff for possible infections before entering the building. With a high number of people in the vicinity, the assessment needs to be carried out as quickly and precisely as possible.
According to FDA guidelines, an elevated temperature alone cannot conclusively indicate a COVID-19 infection without further evaluation and diagnostic testing of additional symptoms. The human body is very complex and simply measuring temperature is not an effective way to determine sickness. As defined by FDA, “High body temperature does not necessarily mean a person has a COVID-19 infection. All fevers measured by thermal imaging systems should be confirmed by another method and followed by more diagnostic evaluations for other symptoms, as appropriate.”
Modcon’s latest VsScan (MOD-601) is a real-time screening analyser enhanced with two 3D sensors, a RGB sensor, temperature transmitter, and thermal sensor that allows for thermal imaging. Modcon’s AI-based video analytics software collects and calculates data and vital signs values. Additionally, there is a display of measurement results that compare results with normal ranges. Once data is collected and read, it determines an output for access control.
The vital signs monitoring system is designed to effectively produce assessment results by using its multi-parameter screening and early-warning methodology. The Early Warning Score (EWS) is based on vital signs from studies in the 1990s, which indicated unusual changes in vital signs before the onset of cardiac arrest or in-hospital deterioration.
Vital signs are medical signs that indicate vital processes and functions within the human body. They are taken as measurements to assess overall health, detect any underlying symptoms of disease or infections, and record recovery. The four primary vital signs are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate (breathing), and, although not considered a vital sign but measured alongside blood pressure.
During an illness or infection the resting heart rate increases and heart rate decreases, these measurements might be noticeable during the early stages of infection, but the symptoms might not be experienced. The body’s central nervous system and immune system work together to fight any infections before it gets worse. However, when they worsen, the febrile response in the body, which is a fever, is signalled so that the body can produce more heat to assist in eradicating the infection.
Similarly, the EWS and vital sign measurements are used to detect and indicate the level of COVID-19 infection in a patient and assist in implementing infection prevention protocols. The EWS assesses information from various results to formulate a score measured with normal ranges. These compose the respiratory rate in breaths per minute, heart rate (bpm), and temperature. The detection accuracy and measuring speed for body temperature ranges around 0.5℃ and 0.7 to two seconds, heart rate ranges around five BPM and 10-15 seconds, and respiratory rate around 2 BPM and 10 to 15 seconds. Detection distance of body temperature is measured from 0.2 to two metres, heart rate is 0.5 to one metre, and respiratory rate is 0.5 to one metre.
The VsScan (MOD-601) is primarily used at control gates of hospitals, airports, industrial facilities, offices, governmental buildings, schools, universities, retirement homes, and various marketplaces - places like these have more foot-traffic than usual, and the vital signs monitoring facilitates a rapid scanning process.
With Modcon’s new VsScan (MOD-601), users can experience a more effective assessment of vital signs and take the necessary precautions before entering a building. This is especially suited to workplaces, where the risk of infection is higher than usual. It is recommended to create a baseline of healthy vital signs, ‘personal normal’, to measure against data related to infection levels.
