iWear Study

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Survey on Patient Preferences for Remote Monitoring Using Wearable Health Devices

In collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the purpose of this study is to develop strategies to include wearable devices into healthcare to remotely monitor health. To participate, we are looking for people who are age 65 years or older and have one of the following conditions: a) Cardiometabolic disease b) Neurological disorder c) Cancer. The survey will be in English so being comfortable with reading and understanding English is required to complete the survey. For more information, refer to the study flyer below or click this link.

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Summary

Data indicates older adults' healthcare costs average about 3 times greater than those of the typical working adult. In addition to an increased prevalence of chronic disease, functional decline and functional limitations account for 64% of emergency department visits in adults 65 and older. With decreasing time providers have to spend with patients, integrating wearable activity monitors (such as an Apple Watch or Fitbit) into the healthcare setting for older adults to be used to remotely monitor and assess (1) changes to patients functional status, (2) adherence to rehabilitation programs, and (3) early referral and intervention when clinically significant changes are detected. Upon implementation, digital biomarkers can be defined and deployed to reduce risks associated with functional limitations and improve effectiveness of clinical care among the older adult population. However, little is known about how to efficiently and effectively implement wearable devices into an older adult healthcare setting, such as the needs and preferences of the target population for accessing and using these devices.

Therefore, we propose to use a patient-centered approach to determine the needs and preferences of older adults to integrate wearable devices into a healthcare setting. Completion of this study will provide the knowledge necessary to design implementation strategies for integration of wearable devices into healthcare as a means to remotely monitor older adults health in between provider office visits.

If interested in learning more about the collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin, click here to view the profile of Dr. Whitney Morelli, PhD,