Conclusions
Respiratory Illness, ILI, infections, infection
INFECTION, INFLUENZA-LIKE ILLNESS, INFECTIONS, INFLUENZA
In conclusion, using wearable sensor data, we characterized 2 cohorts of patients with ILI based on their diagnostic status and care-seeking behavior. We show distinct wearable “phenotypes” for patients who were influenza positive compared with those who reported ILI symptoms only and for care seekers compared with non–care seekers. Although our findings alone cannot be used in lieu of formal laboratory diagnostics, our results provide further supportive evidence of the potential for commercial wearable sensors to serve as an early detection system for influenza infections, whereby device users may receive a digital suggestion to seek care, to undergo diagnostic testing, or to even quarantine. Wearable sensors also have the potential to discriminate care-seeking from non–care-seeking populations, which could help inform health care resource planning in the future. Future studies validating early detection and care-seeking prediction algorithms are needed.The FluStudy2020 study was supported by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Genentech, Inc and Evidation Health Inc. The Home Testing of Respiratory Illness study was supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (contract number 75A50119C00036), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, US Department of Health and Human Services, and Audere, a digital health, nonprofit organization. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Evidation Health Inc were involved in the design and conduct of the studies; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.Third-party medical writing assistance, under the direction of the authors, was provided by Stephanie Cumberworth, PhD, of Ashfield MedComms, an Inizio company, and funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.Authors' Contributions: VH, AS, DC, FD, ER, ST-B, LF, and VU conceived and designed the study. AS and ER collected and assembled the data. VH, AS, DC, FD, ER, EP, ST-B, LF, and VU analyzed and interpreted the data. VH, AS, DC, FD, ER, EP, ST-B, LF, and VU wrote the manuscript.Conflicts of Interest: VH and DC are former employees of Genentech, Inc, a member of the Roche Group. ST-B is a current employee of Genentech, Inc. AS, ER, and EP are employees of Evidation Health. FD is a former employee of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. LF is a cofounder of Evidation Health, a company that makes use of person-generated health data in clinical research, health care, and public health applications. VU is an employee of Roche Products Ltd.Supplementary tables showing: the daily influenza-like illness (ILI) burden for the overall study population (Table S1); baseline characteristics (Table S2) and the difference in daily ILI burden (Table S3) for participants who attended a healthcare visit compared with those who did not; baseline characteristics (Table S4) and the difference in daily ILI burden (Table S5) for participants with confirmed influenza infection compared with those who had ILI symptoms only. The overall ILI burden for total steps and sleep duration for the wearable analysis population is shown in Figure S1.