Contact Tracing APPE

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing is a method to help reduce the spread of the virus. Social distancing protocols are now being implemented as the country re-opens. Some people may be following these rules and some may not be.  This can create a false sense of security if the protocols are not being followed. Currently, we are seeing  spikes in cases across the country even with the social distancing protocols for re-opening in place. 

How do we track these protocols and  know if they are truly helping to promote social distancing? The use of cameras to track social distancing can be a useful way to help understand how well social distancing protocols are working.  The resulting data from these tracking cameras can be a helpful tool to understand how effective social distancing protocols are.  

One way this data can be displayed is by giving users a performance rating of how well they have been complying with social distancing protocols. The integration of a social distancing performance rating can be used in multiple areas of pharmacy.

Research questions from the project could be applied to community, inpatient, outpatient and even industry related pharmacy work places. This data could help answer the question: Will a performance percentage alert improve the compliance of COVID-19 safety protocols in the pharmacy?

The performance ratings can make people more aware of the social distancing protocols.  In addition, users can  make decisions to change their performance if the rating is low. Also understanding how well a pharmacy as a whole is following social distancing protocols can help ensure employees have lower risk of contracting the virus. The data and research will help in the future to improve and understand the use of social distancing protocols.