Digital Health bits | November 4th 2020
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
Start of 1st WHO infodemic management training
The 1st WHO Infodemic Management Training programme kicks off next week, and participants will come together during 8 sessions that will take place over the course of the next four weeks.The training programme received over 650 applications from 83 countries, and this very competitive selection process resulted in a cohort of 270 trainees.
The training has been co-sponsored by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and RCCE collective service. Technical expertise is being provided by First Draft, a non-profit that works globally to tackle misinformation.
Organizing the training programme has been a complicated logistical exercise. The number and location of this first cohort means the sessions will be repeated twice per day to allow everyone to join the sessions live to ask questions and to interact with their fellow learners. During the 34 hours of programming, there will be 46 different speakers sharing their expertise with the participants.
The training programme has been driven by a recognition of the harm being caused by false and misleading health information circulating in online spaces, low quality news outlets and in peer to peer discussions. By the end of the training, participants will have a thorough grounding in infodemic management. This includes an understanding that public health professionals need to share accurate, engaging, sharable content as well as using techniques to counter misinformation when it starts to cause harm to communities.
The course includes practical training on tools for monitoring rumors, fact-checking and verification, as well as learning how to respond effectively and testing interventions to slow down the spread of misinformation. There are also guest speakers from UNICEF, Google and Facebook and most importantly representatives from country based Ministries of Health who will be talking about their current challenges with the infodemic and the lessons they have learned.
Read more: https://www.who.int/news/item/30-10-2020-start-of-1st-who-infodemic-management-training
Scripps researchers find COVID-19 signals in daily activity data from Fitbits, smartwatches
By casting a broad, digital net to pick up the signs of coronavirus outbreaks, researchers hope to build an early warning system that uses data from people’s wearable activity trackers.
Now, initial data from a study by the Scripps Research Translational Institute showed that devices such as smartwatches and Fitbits may be capable of spotting COVID-19 cases, and could aid in public health efforts to slow the spread of the disease.
Launched in March, the DETECT study and its smartphone app collects daily activity data from participants and matches it with their self-reported symptoms, as well as any diagnostic tests they may take.
Results from the study’s first six weeks, spanning over 30,000 participants, showed that significant changes in a person’s normal heart rate, sleep quality and daily movement could help pinpoint new infections.
"One of the greatest challenges in stopping COVID-19 from spreading is the ability to quickly identify, trace and isolate infected individuals," said the study’s first author, Giorgio Quer, director of artificial intelligence at Scripps.
"Early identification of those who are pre-symptomatic or even asymptomatic would be especially valuable, as people may potentially be even more infectious during this period. That's the ultimate goal," Quer said. The study’s results were published in Nature Medicine.
KT works with American bio-sensor producer to expand capabilities in digital bio-health sector
KT, a major telecom company in South Korea, will work with Sibel.Inc, an American bio-sensor company, to expand capabilities using artificial intelligence and big data in the digital bio-health sector. Sibel has developed a wireless sensor that can monitor body temperature, cardiac impulse, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation in real-time.
The two companies agreed to carry out a pilot project related to digital health using ICT-based disease monitoring solutions. Their cooperation covers data analysis and the discovery of new digital health businesses in developing countries and the development of new projects and business models with global organizations.
KT has selected digital and bio-health services using information and communications technology (ICT) as the core of its future strategy. The company works with health and medical institutions to establish an ICT-based health business models and advance into poor medical conditions.
Read more: https://www.ajudaily.com/view/20201030173051992
Healthcare App Reduces Symptoms Of COPD Compared To Regular Treatment
COPD is a common respiratory condition and one of the top causes of hospital admissions each year, particularly during winter months. In the UK it accounts for over 140,000 hospital admissions and one million bed days at a major cost to the NHS. At a time when fewer people are able to access face-to-face consultations with their GPs and elderly patients with conditions such as COPD need are shielding, these are very encouraging findings for the future of digital health services.
In this new study, 41 patients admitted to hospital with severe exacerbations of COPD were allocated into two groups, with one group receiving their regular treatments and the second group of patients set up with access to the MyCOPD app as well as receiving treatment as usual. MyCOPD gives patients access to a broad range of services wherever they are in the world, without the need to travel to clinics or join waiting lists. These services include receiving education from medical experts, information on how factors such as pollen, pollution and the weather in their area could affect their condition and videos that demonstrate how to use inhalers correctly. Users also complete daily diaries of their symptoms and medication, which allows the app to help them identify when they are deteriorating and provide advice on appropriate courses of action.
The results of this latest trial, published in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine, showed that over the course of three months, the number of further exacerbations within the group using the app was nearly half that for those who just received treatment as usual (18 compared to 34). Incorrect use of inhalers also reduced by around 80% for MyCOPD users, compared to a fall of around 30% for the control group.
Human API raises $20M so you can share your health data with institutions you trust, spurring innovation
California-based Human API is a platform that is normalizing and structuring health data from over 28,000 disparate sources such as hospitals, wearable devices, pharmacies, and labs, and is making it accessible – with each patient’s permission – to trusted physicians, startups, enterprises, and insurers.
By giving patients who create the health data the easiest way to connect and share it with companies and institutions they trust, Human API aims to radically accelerate the pace of health innovation globally.
This week, the company announced a Series C investment round of $20 million. The round includes participation from Samsung Ventures, CNO Financial Group, Allianz Life Ventures, and Moneta VC, as well as from existing investors BlueRun Ventures, SCOR Life and Health Ventures, and Guardian Life Insurance Company.
According to a company statement, the round positions Human API to build on its significant momentum in industries including insurance, pharma and digital health, and to advance its mission to make true consumer-controlled health data liquidity a reality across a spectrum of markets.
“With this new capital we’re evolving Human API into a digital transformation platform unifying more data from more sources,” said Andrei Pop, Founder and CEO of Human API. “We’re speeding up growth in the insurance, clinical trials, and health plans markets, as well as new use cases like COVID-19 screening.”
Fern Health partners with hospital on digital pain programme
The new digital healthcare initiative will use AI and predictive analytics.
Fern Health, a company specialising in virtual musculoskeletal (MSK) pain management programmes, has partnered with one of the top-rated hospitals in the US to informs its digital therapy programme for pain management.
Collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital, the programme will use artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in conjunction with 10 million patient records to provide appropriate treatments as an alternative to opioids and other pain medication.
The partnership between Fern Health and Massachusetts General first formed 18 months ago, and will now expand to include product lines, pilot new products in a clinical setting, and investigate new scientific approaches to pain management.
The company's current products include a digitally-delivered MSK pain management program that was originally developed with experts from the hospital, in consultation with clinical collaborators from the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.
The collaboration will provide Fern Health with scientific and clinical data so they can expand what they offer. For instance rather than administering treatment in a hospital, by replicating how a patient might experience treatment in a clinic it could become accessible from anywhere.
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
#DigitalHealth #Innovation #AI #DigitalTherapeutics #COVID-19