More details emerge on Scripps Wired for Health trial

2013-08-07

The Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) has announced the official launch of its Wired for Health mobile trial, which had begun recruiting last month, when the Institute brought on Dr. Steven Steinhubl as director of digital medicine. "We are excited to embark on one of the first robust, cross-industry studies using multiple mobile medical sensors to determine whether we can lower health care costs and resource consumption through wireless health technology," STSI director Dr. Eric Topol said in a statement. As previously reported, the trial will include patients with three conditions: diabetes, hypertension, and heart arrhythmia. The trial will include 200 participants, recruited from Scripps Health employees and their families by health care services administrator HealthComp. Participants will be chosen partially for having generated high health care costs in the past year. Half the participants will make up the control group, while the other half will receive a digital health device: Sanofi's IBGStar Blood Glucose Meter for patients with diabetes, a Withings Blood Pressure monitor for patients with hypertension, and an AliveCor Heart Monitor for those being treated for a heart arrhythmia. Whichever device patients have, it will be connected to a 3G network via the Qualcomm Life 2net Hub. Both control and intervention participants will be enrolled in HealthComp's disease management program, which includes one-on-one training and education about their condition. "Participants in the wireless intervention group will be able to engage in health sessions and track their conditions through a Web portal or mobile device experience, powered by Qualcomm Life’s HealthyCircles Care Orchestration Engine, an enterprise platform designed for care coordination and management," STSI writes in the press release. "HealthComp will leverage Qualcomm Life’s HealthyCircles care management toolset to monitor the health status of participants and to deliver the appropriate and relevant interventions." The study will run six months. Researchers will evaluate the health interventions needed by study participants, looking at frequency, purpose, and cost. Scripps Health is funding the study, with in-kind donations from all the participating technology partners, as well as Accenture and HealthComp.

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