Personal Warning Temperature for Fever Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting infectious diseases like COVID-19 are hindered by outdated definitions of fever, which fail to identify mild symptoms, leading to unintentional transmission as individuals with elevated temperatures below 100.4°F remain unaware they are sick and continue to interact with others.
Innovation Solution
The Personal Warning Temperature (PWT) method calculates an individual's personalized fever threshold using statistical measures like mean and standard deviation from their own healthy body temperature measurements, providing an earlier and more accurate warning of potential illness by defining a fever as a temperature rise above this personal threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fixed fever threshold of 100.4°F is used for disease detection, then the definition is simple and universally applicable, but it fails to detect mild symptoms and leads to unintentional transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by transitioning from a universal fixed threshold to individualized dynamic thresholds. Each person's Personal Warning Temperature is calculated based on their own historical temperature data, accounting for individual variations in baseline temperature. This allows the system to adapt to local (individual) characteristics rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, thereby improving detection accuracy without requiring complex medical equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by replacing the static 100.4°F threshold with a dynamic Personal Warning Temperature that updates based on accumulated historical data. The threshold adapts over time as the system learns an individual's temperature patterns, allowing it to respond to subtle changes that indicate early illness. This dynamic approach enables early detection while maintaining computational simplicity.
2Reliability
If early detection using personalized thresholds is implemented, then the spread of infectious diseases can be reduced, but individual temperature variations and timing effects must be accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by collecting and analyzing temperature data during the healthy state before illness occurs. The system establishes a baseline Personal Warning Temperature from historical data accumulated when the individual is healthy, enabling early detection of deviations that indicate the onset of illness. This preparatory phase ensures reliable early detection without requiring complex real-time analysis during potential infection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously comparing current temperature readings against the personalized threshold and providing warnings when deviations occur. The system uses historical temperature data as feedback to refine and update the Personal Warning Temperature over time, creating a self-adjusting monitoring system that improves reliability while maintaining simple operation for the user.
Data Source
AI summary
The Personal Warning Temperature (PWT) is a method of determining a person's personal warning temperature that defines a fever for that person. The PWT may also be used to provide an indication to recommend medical evaluation for a person. The method includes analyzing a person's body temperature measurements taken over time when the person may be healthy, in order to find the person's average temperature, a standard deviation, a channel defined by an upper and lower temperature bound using the average and standard deviation, such that nearly all body temperatures fall within the channel, and a personal warning temperature similarly defined using the average, and the standard deviation. A personal warning temperature may be used for improved and accelerated awareness of a person's health status.