News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups
Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups
Hosted by Robert Michel
Sign In

Recent Study Looks at How Consumers Use Wearables That Generate Biometric data and Whether Such Data Might Be Valuable for Physicians and Medical Laboratories

Feb 16, 2018 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

Precision medicine programs can benefit from wearable usage data; however, little information has been collected on personalities and behaviors of the device users

Wearables medical devices have the potential to monitor some of the same biomarkers used in medical laboratory tests today. In addition, these mobile technologies can make it possible for clinical laboratories to monitor patients in real time, as well as allow labs to incorporate such into a patient’s historical record of lab test results.

The trend toward personalized medicine (aka, Precision Medicine) is increasing, with many payment programs based on it. Thus, monitoring and correcting activities that cause chronic disease, or work against treatments, is becoming standard procedure for forward-thinking, technically proficient doctors and hospitals. But are patients onboard with all of it?

Activity Trackers for Monitoring Patient Behavior

With the popularity of activity trackers on the rise, researchers are examining their usage patterns to determine how the devices are being utilized, their target market, and ways to encourage sustained use of the gadgets.

A recent article published in Annals of Internal Medicine provided insight regarding who is using this type of wearable device, how activity trackers are being employed, and the length of time consumers will maintain their usage.

The research was spearheaded by Mitesh Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Care Management, Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He believes this is the largest study of its kind to evaluate the usage of wearable fitness trackers.

“Many people are excited by the potential of using activity trackers to monitor healthy behaviors, but there is very little evidence on who is using them and whether or not use is sustained over time,” Patel stated in a Penn Medicine news release. “We found that, though use grew over time, it really varied depending on individual characteristics like age and income. We also found that once someone started using an activity tracker, sustained use at six months was high at 80%.”

Patel is also Director of the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, a behavioral design team that is studying the impact that nudges or small interventions may have on healthcare. The team is examining ways in which nudges can influence choices, and also direct medical professionals and patients toward optimal decisions to improve healthcare delivery and results. (Photo copyright: University of Pennsylvania.)

Gaming the Study Improves Usage of Test Devices

To perform the study, 4.4 million members of a national wellness program were invited to take part in data collection. Approximately 55,000 of those individuals actually participated in the study, which involved downloading an app to record pertinent information. Researchers tracked and interpreted the data during a two-year period in 2014 and 2015.

The information analyzed included:

  • When participants initially activated their tracker;
  • How often the device was utilized;
  • The average number of steps taken per day; and,
  • Sociodemographic characteristics.

The results of the study were not entirely unexpected, but there were surprises:

  • 80% of the people who initially activated the devices were still using them after six months;
  • Only 0.2% of the invited individuals used the devices in the first year;
  • However, that number increased to 1.2% during the second year.

The usage of wearable activity trackers was nearly double among younger people than it was for older individuals. In addition, people from households with an annual income of less than $50,000 used the gadgets at lower rates than those at higher income levels.

A mere 0.1% of the potential participants were over 65-years old. However, 90% of individuals in this age group were still using the devices six months after initial activation.

The authors of the study stated that adding game elements, such as points, levels, badges and financial incentives may have played a role in the sustained use of the activity trackers.

“Gamification and financial incentives are commonly used within wellness programs, but their impact has not been well studied,” Patel stated in the news release. “Our findings provide initial evidence suggesting that these types of engagement strategies may show promise for keeping sustained use high. However, more studies are needed to determine the best way to combine these types of engagement strategies with activity trackers to improve health outcomes.”

Most Commonly Used Mobile Activity Tracking Devices

There were 60 different types of wearable activity trackers that could be used by participants for the study. Seventy-six percent of those participants elected to use the FitBit activity tracker. This mobile healthcare device is worn on the wrist like a watch. It monitors activity, exercise, food, weight, and sleep to provide consumers with real-time data about their activities.

The data collected by the device is sent automatically and wirelessly to the user’s phone or computer. Individuals then can use the FitBit dashboard to view their progress through online charts and graphs. The dashboard also offers progress notifications to the consumer and gives achievement badges when established goals have been reached.

The second most common activity trackers used were Apple devices, such as Apple Watches, which were chosen by 9% of the participants.

Biometric data on patients’ behavior and activities that is collected and transmitted from mobile devices has swiftly become critical data doctors use in precision medicine diagnoses and treatments. Clinical laboratories will likely be including biomarker data taken by these devices in their testing and procedures in the future. The only question is how quickly the data generated by such devices becomes acceptable to add to a patient’s permanent health record.

—JP Schlingman

Related Information:

New Wellness Study Shows Just How Sticky Wearables Can Be, Even Among Seniors

Penn Study Shows 80% of Activity Tracker Users Stick with the Devices for at Least Six Months

Game Time: To Increase Exercise, Study Shows Gaming Strategies and a Buddy Are Key

When Push Comes to Nudge

Improvements to Fitness Wearables Help Stream Data from Consumers’ Homes to EHRs and Clinical Pathology Laboratories

Apple May Be Developing Mobile Device Technology to Monitor User’s Health and Transmit Data in Real Time

Sure Genomics Offering $2,500 Whole Human Genome Profile to Consumers, but ‘Doctor Prescribed’ Medical Laboratory Test Caught the Attention of the FDA

Apr 13, 2016 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology

FDA sends letter to the California-based start-up concerning clearance for SureDNA test kit before accepting pre-orders from consumers

Competition to market whole-human genome sequencing to consumers is heating up. Not only is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) watching these developments, but it is taking action to regulate companies that offer direct-to-consumer whole-human genome sequencing in developments that should be watched by clinical laboratory managers and pathologists.

One example is Sure Genomics. It claims to be breaking barriers by offering a $2,500 at-home whole human genome test to consumers.

The company believed the new test kit, called SureDNA, would escape FDA restrictions on the direct sale of health reports to consumers. However, the FDA’s recent letter to the California-based startup indicates Sure Genomics may face the same regulatory roadblocks that have stymied other direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. (more…)

Group Health Cooperative Study Uses EHRs and Stepped Interventions to Double Rate of Colorectal Cancer Screenings

May 13, 2013 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers may find new opportunities to increase testing volumes as patients’electronic health records yield clinically relevant data

Sophisticated use of electronic health records (EHRs), automated reminder systems, and telephone follow-up can double cancer-screening compliance by consumers. That could mean an increase in testing volumes for clinical laboratories serving clinics using this approach.

Researchers at the Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) used electronic health records to identify Group Health Cooperative (GHC) patients who weren’t screened regularly for cancer of the colon and rectum.

Because of how EHRs were used to step-up patient compliance for cancer screening, the study findings may be useful for pathologists and clinical laboratory managers. Over the years, many medical laboratories have furnished referring physicians a list of their patients who are due for screening tests, such as for cervical cancer. (more…)

Two U.S. Studies Show Home-based Hospital Care Lowers Costs while Improving Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction

Aug 8, 2012 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

Studies show home-based hospital acute care results in fewer medical laboratory and diagnostic tests

Home-based hospital care (HBHC) is a care delivery model that is evolving at a rapid pace. To be effective, HBHC must improve patient outcomes while avoiding the expenses associated with an inpatient stay at a hospital.

However, significant growth in the number of patients treated in home-based hospital care programs would directly affect hospital-based clinical laboratories and pathology groups. Among other things, this would reduce the volume of inpatient testing while increasing the number of outpatient/outreach specimens.

Evidence is accumulating in favor of HBHC. New research shows that a New Mexico home-based hospital care (HH) program demonstrated cost savings and equal or better patient outcomes and patient satisfaction for acutely-ill patients compared to similar patients receiving in-hospital care. These new findings affirm similar results from a 2005 study of HBHC. (more…)

Two Studies Find that Patients Want Access to their Health Records, Including Clinical Pathology Test Data

Feb 3, 2012 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology

Patients are ready to ready access to their medical records; but physicians are wary

Data from two studies here in the United States affirms that patients want access to their health records. Consequently, health systems are increasingly making it easier for patients to get access to prescription lists, medical laboratory test results and now even doctors’ notes.

These findings are important for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups. Laboratory test data typically makes up 70% of the information contained in patient’s health record. The growing interest on the part of patients to have access to their health records creates an opportunity for labs to add value by helping patients have access to their laboratory test results.

Of course, in providing that access, labs must comply with applicable laws governing patient privacy. They must also respect the relationship patients have with referring physicians and how those physicians are themselves allowing patients access to the health records they maintain in their medical practices.
(more…)

;