By Molly Wylie
LeadingAge researchers will evaluate the implementation of technology that uses wastewater samples to predict infectious disease outbreaks.
The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston is partnering with Aquora Research and Consulting to evaluate the implementation of a technology system designed to predict infectious disease outbreaks in long-term care settings by collecting and testing wastewater samples. The project is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.
Aquora Research and Consulting tests and analyzes water supplies to help communities make data-driven decisions that can improve residents’ quality of life. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its scientists developed a wastewater monitoring system called SecureCare to provide early detection of disease outbreaks. Earlier studies found that the technology could anticipate future COVID-19 outbreaks by up to seven days.
The current research project aims to determine whether SecureCare is a viable option for infection control in long-term care settings, including nursing homes and assisted living communities. Researchers from Aquora will analyze how accurately SecureCare predicts the timing and severity of COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and norovirus outbreaks. LTSS Center researchers will evaluate whether long-term care staff believe SecureCare is an acceptable and effective intervention.
PROJECT FOCUS
Controlling disease outbreaks is especially important in long-term care settings like nursing homes, where over 2.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported to date. Predicting these outbreaks can help providers plan interventions and mitigate risk, potentially improving the health outcomes of residents and the economic sustainability of long-term care organizations.
LTSS Center researchers will interview team members, network-level infectious disease personnel, and C-suite leaders in two LeadingAge multisite organizations: Good Samaritan Society, based in Sioux Falls, SD, and Western Home Services, based in Cedar Falls, IA. To supplement the data gathered during these interviews, researchers will also analyze resident longevity and the estimated costs associated with hiring replacement staff, purchasing personal protective equipment, and acquiring new residents.
LTSS Center researchers will explore:
- The feasibility of using SecureCare in long-term care communities.
- Whether SecureCare can effectively change staff behavior in response to future disease outbreaks.
- The technology’s perceived return on investment.
THE NEXT PHASE OF SECURECARE
Aquora will modify its technology, as needed, based on what it learns from this research project. If SecureCare is validated as an acceptable and effective intervention, the company will begin working to make it commercially available to more long-term care providers.
Molly Wylie is research associate in the Washington, DC office of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. Her work focuses on how older adults and their caregivers navigate options for long-term home and community-based services, with attention to the influence of health literacy and self-efficacy. Read more about Molly. .