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Nyack, NY – April 26, 2010 - A clinical study is underway at
“Hospital readmission of patients within 30 days of discharge is a major issue,” explains Nicholas Tsirkas, Director of Clinical Research at
More than Medication Reminders
Multiple clinical studies have reported that more than 50% of heart failure patients do not receive guideline recommended therapy, and of those that do, only 40-60% adhere to the regimen.
“The system goes beyond reminding patients to take their medications,” explains Barbara Rapchak, Founder of Leap of Faith Technologies, the company that developed the system. “It also helps them monitor their symptoms, side effects, and overall well-being using technology that integrates seamlessly into their lifestyle.”
A Systems Innovation in Behavior Change
eMedonline represents a systems innovation in behavior-change science and technology. It integrates smartphones, radiofrequency identification (RFID), and behavioral informatics. It consists of a software application that runs on the cellphone, and a software application that runs on a remote server and collects data sent to it by the phone about patient-specific dosing events.
In the Nyack study, eMedonline is implemented as a “smart service” that leverages the wireless capabilities of RFID and cellphone technology by turning a cellphone into a medication sensor. Medication data read from a smart label (a label with RFID inlay) on the medication package is collected wirelessly by the phone in real time and helps verify that patients are taking the right drug at the right time while monitoring patient reported outcomes.
All data collected from the phone is sent wirelessly to a secure server where it is available for clinical review and analysis. Alerts can be triggered, enabling intervention in the case of missed medications or adverse events before they become a significant health risk.
More Effective Care Transition
“We know that 26.9% of heart failure patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge,” said Tsirkas. “Will an improved follow-up program reduce rehospitalizations?” he asked. “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
The data from the study will be compared against historical readmission rates and hopefully provide a basis for submitting a protocol for a larger, more rigorous study.
Leap of Faith Technologies
Leap of Faith Technologies, Inc. is a privately-held company pioneering real-time ehealth, disease management solutions for eliciting behavior change and providing timely clinical information. Leap of Faith's initial efforts are focused on medication compliance for patients with chronic disease through use of the company’s proprietary eMedonline platform. More information can be found at http://www.emedonline.com.
