AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – UCHealth began vaccinations for health care workers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on Thursday. Some high-risk recipients are being monitored with a BioButton medical grade device, a remote vital sign monitor that allows doctors to keep track of the patient.
The BioButton, available from Golden-based BioIntelliSense, is a coin-size device developed to monitor COVID-19 patients and vaccine recipients. The device monitors temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate at rest, according to the company.
“The participation of our frontline health care workers in this vaccine monitoring program serves as an important operational milestone in scaling the program for the larger population, particularly with vulnerable patient populations and seniors in long-term care environments,” said Dr. Richard Zane, UCHealth chief innovation officer and professor and chair of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Patients will wear the device for two days prior to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine dose and seven days after, according to UCHealth.
“The vaccine is a significant clinical achievement in addressing the COVID-19 global pandemic,” said Dr. James Mault, CEO of BioIntelliSense. “We are proud to partner with UCHealth in providing our BioIntelliSense medical-grade wearable technology and advanced data services to address high-risk patient populations and to offer peace of mind monitoring for those who may be concerned about receiving the vaccine.”