The Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies at NUS in Singapore introduces the Supportive Parenting Application (SPA), a groundbreaking tool offering vital support for those navigating the complexities of early parenthood. Developed in response to the unique challenges faced by parents, SPA provides localized guidance through a variety of mediums, such as videos, podcasts, and articles. A team of experts, including obstetricians, psychiatrists, nurses, and midwives from reputable healthcare institutions in Singapore, curates this valuable content.

Key Features

SPA is more than just an information hub. It provides an interactive experience for parents, with features like:

• Tailored Guidance: The app offers insights into parental self-care, baby care tutorials, and effective coping strategies for the psychological and emotional challenges post-birth.
• Community Interaction: A discussion forum allows parents to post queries and engage with each other. The app also features a chat function, connecting parents with trained peer volunteers who provide invaluable emotional support.

Research Findings

Associate Professor Shefaly Shorey and her team at NUS Nursing conducted a comprehensive study, focusing on the effectiveness of SPA during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study observed significant positive outcomes for both parents and infants, including:

• Improved Parental Outcomes: SPA users demonstrated enhanced perceived social support, higher help-seeking scores during the post-childbirth period, and a gradual reduction in depressive symptoms among mothers over time.
• Positive Infant Development: Infants of SPA users exhibited better cognitive, motor, communication, and social skills. This resulted in a notable reduction in the risk of developmental delays compared to infants whose parents did not use the app.

Future Plans

The research team, fueled by the success of the initial study, plans to further enhance SPA. They aim to expand their evaluation to include parents facing psychosocial disadvantages and vulnerable backgrounds, such as those with low socio-economic status or children with special needs. The ultimate goal is to make the SPA and its valuable content accessible to a broader audience of local parents in the coming years.

Assoc. Prof. Shefaly Shorey emphasized, “Our study proved that the mobile health intervention was a good source of evidence-based yet localized information and reliable support to help parents care for newborns and their own emotional and overall well-being.” The SPA app represents a significant leap in leveraging technology to provide holistic perinatal support for parents.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Noom for Work, the commercial leader in behavior change, announced today that it would deliver two new preventive health solutions to commercial members of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s (CareFirst): Noom Weight and Noom’s Diabetes Prevention Program. Beginning April 3, 2023, both programs will be accessed via CareFirst WellBeing℠ as a benefit to all commercial members, opening up always-on access to Noom’s psychology-based app for the full member population. Users will take a brief assessment in the app to determine the program that best fits their profile.

For some users, Noom Weight, the organization’s flagship program, will be the best fit. Powered by psychology, Noom Weight uses evidence-based techniques to empower behavior change. It’s a personalized, mind-first approach that combines technology and human coaching to create healthier habits that lead to long-lasting results. Features of Noom Weight include curriculum that teaches users the why behind their habits and how to change them; modular daily lessons, tailored to each person’s goals; education tracking, food logging, and ability to connect to other devices (scales, wearables) for immediate feedback and positive reinforcement; and one-on-one coaching and peer support groups to help improve outcomes via encouragement, accountability, and goal setting.

“Partnering with Noom to integrate its solutions into the CareFirst WellBeing application was a natural move for the redesigned platform,” said Mack McGee, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of CareFirst. “With specific focus on preventive care to yield better health outcomes, CareFirst WellBeing is prioritizing innovative programs that fit into daily life and meet people where they are in their healthcare journey. This partnership with Noom will empower the people we serve to take charge of their health through healthier habits and weight management to mitigate chronic conditions, and we’re excited to see the benefits it brings to our members.”

For other individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes, they will receive Noom’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) – the first CDC-recognized digital behavior change program tailored to support those who have early indicators of the disease. Eligible members will be screened for enrollment based on meeting standard criteria for prediabetes and access a digital experience similar to Noom Weight, but tailored to a prediabetes audience. DPP carries the same core features of Noom’s Weight program, but also includes daily lessons tailored to each user’s goals and aligned with CDC requirements, including a weekly exercise minutes goal tracker and one-on-one coaching with trained DPP lifestyle coaches, with a heavier emphasis on peer support and group interaction.

According to the CDC, more than 72% of the Adult US population is overweight, and more than half of that population is obese, with trends predicted to increase every year – and 47% of chronic conditions can be attributed to being overweight.

“So much of the impact on weight in the US is based on the lifestyle choices we make and we know how hard it is to retrain your brain to develop healthier habits in a way that is easy, accessible and personalized. We’re extremely excited to partner with an innovative organization like CareFirst who is prioritizing the health of its members with programs like Noom, which can be accessed by its full population to help develop healthier habits that last, ultimately reduce the risk of chronic conditions and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes,” said Matt Mouradian, General Manager of Healthcare at Noom.

About Noom

Noom is a psychology-based digital health platform powered by data, technology, and human coaches that helps millions of people meet their personal health and wellness goals from weight management to diabetes prevention to stress reduction. The company has been awarded multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and was the first mobile application to be recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a certified diabetes prevention program. Headquartered in New York City, Noom has been named one of Inc.’s Best Places to Work, Quartz’s Best Workplaces for Remote Workers, and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Technology.

Contacts

Noom Communications
comms@noom.com

In August 2020, Nymbl started a pilot study in New Zealand with 15,000 participants, making it the world’s largest fall prevention study completed outside of a clinical setting. This nationwide pilot program with the country of New Zealand was made possible by an association with ACC and its Live Stronger for Longer program. The study results demonstrated that Nymbl delivers a positive ROI that can be scaled to impact the entire population of older adults in New Zealand. After a rigorous evaluation process, ACC selected Nymbl to be the long-term provider of fall prevention services as part of their continued commitment to empowering older adults to lead thriving, independent lives.

“The team at Nymbl is thrilled to expand our program abroad once again. We learned that in New Zealand, 9 out of 10 older adults required an option for in-home intervention, and we have a program that allows for widespread access to balance training via just a smart phone or device. The feedback we’ve received has been extremely positive, and we love hearing that we’re making an impact,” said Ed Likovich, CEO of Nymbl Science.

ACC chose Nymbl as a partner so that all older adults in New Zealand could have access to an in-home program to improve their strength and balance. The expanded availability of Nymbl’s scientifically proven balance training solution will help New Zealanders to remain active and independent.

“New Zealand historically has one of the most highly engaged fall risk reduction programs in the world. And yet, we found so much value from adding Nymbl to our existing programs – ensuring that older adults in our country can increase their confidence and movement, to keep living the life they want,” said James Whitaker, ACC Injury Prevention Programme Lead.

About ACC

The Accident Compensation Corporation is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for administering the country’s no-fault accidental injury compensation scheme, commonly referred to as the ACC scheme.

About Nymbl Science

Nymbl is the only company providing digital balance training that is scalable, insightful, and cost saving for our partners and effective and engaging for older adults. Our scientifically validated balance training program trains the brain and body to work together, known as dual-tasking. Using just a smart device, and in only 10 minutes a day, older adults are preserving and enhancing their freedom and enjoyment of life with Nymbl. We believe it is necessary to empower older adults to increase confidence and the ability to fully participate in life, because aging is not less. Join us on our way to preventing 1 million falls. For more information, visit www.nymblscience.com.

Contacts

Nymbl Media Contact:
Earl Anema
(720) 253-4757
earl@nymblscience.com

ACC Media Contact:
Pete Thornton
Peter.thornton@acc.co.nz

Sleep disorders (including insomnia) are mostly treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-I). In China, traditional face-to-face CBT-I therapy isn’t practical, due to the overwhelming number of insomnia patients, the time-consuming process, and the relative shortage of professional therapists.
In the past decade, self-service digital CBT-I applications (apps) for insomnia patients have been developed and proven effective in Western countries.

A clinical trial to analyse digital treatments for insomnia

According to a single-blind randomized clinical trial, conducted from March 2021 to January 2022, Chinese culture-adapted DCBT-I improves insomnia severity more than sleep education.
Screening and randomization were carried out at Peking University First Hospital with follow-up visits also being performed there or online.

After assessing eligibility, they formed sleep education groups and a DCBT-I group in a 1:1 ratio according to random numbers. The collected data were analyzed in the first months of 2022.

More info on the clinical trial can be found here

Interventions, outcomes and measures

In both of the groups (DCBT-I and sleep education), the participants had access to a Chinese smartphone-based application for 6 weeks, with follow-ups at 1, 3 and 6 months.

Participants in the DCBT-I (intervention group) received a 6-week self-guided DCBT-I, supplied with a smartphone application called resleep, which included sleep hygiene education, stimulus control, relaxation therapy, sleep restriction, and cognitive therapy.
The other participants (control group) received sleep hygiene education and stimulus control information, with relevant content that overlapped with the corresponding modules of the DCBT-I.

Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score was the primary outcome using the intention-to-treat principle. Secondary and exploratory outcomes included sleep diary measures; self-reported scales assessing dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, mental health, and quality of life; and smart bracelet measures.

There were 97 total individuals screened for eligibility, of whom:

• 6 had an ISI of 14 or less;
• 3 had insomnia for less than 3 months;
• 4 were engaged in night shifts;
• 1 reported comorbid cancer;
• 1 was not present for screening after enrollment;
• 82 were assigned equally to the sleep education and DCBT-I groups;
• 5 did not complete the 6-week treatment;
• 1 did not complete the 1-month follow-up;
• 1 did not complete the 3-month follow-up;
• 2 did not complete the 6-month follow-up.

The 6 weeks program was completed by only 77 participants, which were included in the full analysis data set.

Conclusions

The app reduced the severity of insomnia and improved the quality of sleep. This result suggests that culturally adapted DCBT-I is suitable for the large population of patients with insomnia in China. Although, there’s a need for large multicenter trials to validate the effectiveness of this treatment in Chinese populations.

Thse include apps for preventing and identifying the most common diseases, aiding in weight management, and for receiving feedback on possible conditions.

Last year, more than 435,000 apps were downloaded every minute. The pandemic surely accelerated existing mobile habits causing mobile apps became more and more integrated in our daily lives. Most popular apps? Walking and Fitness are more popular among older groups, and meditation apps are more frequently used among GenZ.

Meditation Apps

According to data.ai, meditation apps are becoming a fast-growing subcategory within Health and Fitness apps, accelerated in 2020 by the global pandemic that forced many to remain indoors as lockdowns become the sudden norm.

The following are the top 3 downloaded apps:

Fitness Apps

Daily active users of fitness apps grew by more than 24% in the first half of 2021, according to data.ai.

Sleep Tech

Achieving a goodnight’s rest can sometimes be a complicated task. Over the years, a veritable ‘sleep technology’ has emerged to avoid or limit the use of insomnia medications.

Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health challenges of the 21st century and we believe that equipping people with new and convenient approaches to tracking diet, activity, weight and blood glucose is a critical component in effectively changing the course of the disease, said Dr. Elizabeth Holt, Head of Global Medical, Clinical, and Safety, LifeScan. Connecting OneTouch blood glucose monitoring data with Fitbit wellness tools and insights is an important step in guiding patients to healthy lifestyle choices that promote improvement in health outcomes.

The new collaboration provides more holistic support through connectivity between the OneTouch Reveal^® diabetes management and Fitbit apps.

LifeScan’s OneTouch Reveal^® app uses a cloud-based digital ecosystem to deliver a powerful combination of data, technology, and insights for improved diabetes management, with the ability to link people to healthcare providers. Through this collaboration people will receive a Fitbit Inspire 2 and access to Fitbit Premium which provides guided programs, hundreds of workouts, mindfulness content, a wellness report, and more personalized insights in the Fitbit health metrics dashboard – all to help people with diabetes move more, manage stress, sleep better and eat well. People will be able to sync the OneTouch Reveal^® and Fitbit apps so that OneTouch blood glucose data can be viewed alongside metrics tracked by Fitbit, giving people the choice to access their information across both apps.

The powerful combination of OneTouch and Fitbit offerings will provide more meaningful personalized support, whether your goal is keeping your blood sugar under control, getting more active, or eating healthier, said Val Asbury, LifeScan president and chief executive officer. Our collaboration with Fitbit is an important part of a larger digital ecosystem of connected solutions and services LifeScan is creating to help support a healthy lifestyle for the millions of people with diabetes who count on OneTouch products every day.

According to the CDC¹, 33 to 50 percent of people with diabetes experience diabetes distress – overwhelming feelings that may cause them to slip into unhealthy habits, stop checking blood sugars or skip appointments with their healthcare team. Additionally, a recent report² shows that adding Fitbit to a diabetes intervention program can lead to further improvements in fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, and LDL cholesterol.

At Fitbit, we have spent 14 years empowering people to live healthier lives, and we’ve seen firsthand how our products, software and services can help people better manage their overall health and wellbeing, including diabetes and prediabetes, said Amy McDonough, Managing Director and General Manager of Fitbit Health Solutions at Google. Working in tandem with LifeScan, we are creating a solution that both consumers and healthcare providers can choose as a tool to inspire behavior change, provide a more comprehensive view of health and wellness in between doctor visits and ultimately lead to better disease management.

The full LifeScan and Fitbit collaboration benefits will be available through OneTouch^® Solutions – available first to consumers in the U.S. starting this fall and then offered to healthcare providers and payors as a reimbursed adjudicated option in early 2022. OneTouch^® Solutions is a portal designed to offer a choice of support, guidance, and digital tools to help people with diabetes thrive in their own way.

NOTES
1 https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/mental-health.html
2 https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/integrating-fitbit-wearable-devices-into-diabetes-care-leads-to-significant-improvements-in-blood-glucose-and-hba1c-finds-health2sync-clinical-study-in-taiwan-1029799437

The transaction extends Labcorp’s position as a leading, go-to source for women’s health insights, opens new avenues for personalized care experiences and fosters better dialogue between health care providers and their patients.

Patients, doctors and health systems are increasingly using digital health solutions to inform health care and treatment options, said Dr. Brian Caveney, chief medical officer and president, Labcorp Diagnostics. We’re excited to expand our leadership in women’s health solutions by bringing Ovia Health’s trusted health content and easy-to-use digital platforms to our patients and customers. We welcome Ovia Health’s innovative and dedicated team to Labcorp and look forward to bringing the combination of our strengths in women’s health to our customers.

Labcorp, through its wide-ranging specialty testing services and deep diagnostics and genetics expertise, is a leader in women’s health. The company supports OB-GYNs and primary care doctors by providing essential testing, screening, educational support and clinical trial options for women including expectant mothers. This creates a better understanding of a patient’s health and potential risks and enables that patient to become more engaged in her wellbeing and pregnancy.

Joining Labcorp enables us to broaden our impact and improve every woman’s opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy and access necessary care and resources, said Paris Wallace, Ovia Health‘s CEO and co-founder. Our combined capability will enable us to significantly expand our reach, enrich our content and explore new methods of promoting a holistic approach to improving women’s health. We’re particularly excited about developing new products and services with Labcorp that fulfill the unmet needs of individuals with reproductive health conditions.

The acquisition marks Labcorp’s continued investment in its women’s health capabilities and represents the next step in a collaborative relationship developed during the past year. The two companies began exploring ways of leveraging their shared commitment to improving patient outcomes following a strategic investment from Labcorp’s Venture Fund in August 2020. Labcorp and Ovia Health are uniquely positioned to harness the power of science and data, positioning Labcorp as the preeminent choice for providers and health plans looking to enhance their patients’ experience.

Ovia Health, one of the first “femtech” companies, has supported more than 15 million family journeys through its suite of interactive, experience-focused platforms. The company has about $20 million in annual revenues and maintains key partnerships with leading universities and research groups, generating a wealth of personal health data and patient insights. Additionally, Ovia Health furnishes numerous employers and health plans with valuable clinical, health and wellness programs to enhance their existing offerings.

Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Once a user stores the digital version of the COVID Card to their device, they will be able to access it via a shortcut on their device home screen, even when they are offline or in areas that have weak internet service.
To use this feature, the device needs to run Android 5 or later and be Play Protect certified. Installing the Google Pay app is not a requirement to access COVID Cards.

More info here

Example COVID Cards from Healthvana, a company serving Los Angeles County

MSD has announced the first Europe-wide Patient Digital Health Awards (PDHA.eu), a competition intended to directly involve patients and patient advocacy associations so as to highlight their needs and diverse experiences as drivers of digital health thinking.

Modeled after the highly successful Italian edition now in its fourth year, PDHA.eu 2021 was developed in collaboration with Digital Health Academy to inspire and recognize digital healthcare innovation from a patient perspective. It applauds solutions aimed at improving care and quality of life for patients and their caregivers, particularly those developed collaboratively with patients and/or advocacy organizations.

The competition is open to individuals, patient associations, healthcare providers, scientific foundations, public or private universities and educational institutions, services companies, IT companies, and startups that are located within any of the EU Member States, EFTA Members, the Balkans, and the UK.

Applications must be submitted by 25 July 2021, 12:00 am CET.

The award categories are: Digital Prevention and Diagnostics, Mental Health, and Social Support, New Ways to Interact with Healthcare Teams and Providers, Disease Monitoring and Therapeutics, and Returning to Care (post-pandemic).

More than merely an award, the PDHA.eu initiative bolsters the vital role of healthcare innovation at the rapidly evolving intersection of technology and science, for both patients and providers.

PDHA.eu’s commitment to putting patients first, from the project themes to the judging panel members, truly sets it apart, as do its goals of sparking innovation, connecting patients and innovators, and creating a positive synergy within the communities.

For more information and to enter the competition, visit www.pdha.eu today!

Participating start-ups entering the F4F program can propose patient-oriented digital solutions, focused on neurological disorders, via online platform open from June to September 2021

Barcelona, Spain, 17 June, 2021 – Ferrer, a privately-held Spanish pharmaceutical company whose aim is to make a positive impact in society, today announces its continued commitment to digital health with the third edition of its innovation program Ferrer 4 Future (F4F). The open innovation program aims to empower entrepreneurs and digital health businesses, to develop disruptive health solutions – using digital technology. Participating start-ups can propose digital healthcare solutions, using new technologies, against the latest challenges set by Ferrer, via an online platform ferrer4future.com

The purpose of the F4F program is the co-development of technology-based healthcare solutions, between start-ups and Ferrer. The collaboration begins with a careful selection process of proposed solutions against two challenges posed by Ferrer. Following an initial scoring process, the start-ups present and defend their solutions before the start-up advisory board, who picks the winner. The winning start-up participates in the program, which includes the possibility of piloting the solution on a real-use case and holds the potential to explore commercial alliances and collaborations with Ferrer in the future. The collaboration agreements are customized – according to the nature and maturity of each project. The duration of the co-development varies between 3 and 18 months, during which time, access to Ferrer mentors and experts, combined with access to internal resources, is guaranteed, and speeds up the creation of the solution.

Through this innovative program, we embrace the collaborative path to promote future projects with value, for patients and stakeholders alike within the healthcare system, said Tatjana Naranda, Ferrer’s Chief R&D Officer. We believe in the key role that digital health plays in the present and will play in the future when it comes to building a more efficient healthcare system – one that is accessible to all sectors of the population.

Ferrer’s F4F 2021 program offers two challenges to participating start-ups:

• Challenge 1: Is there a digital solution that may help screen people with mild cognitive impairment and distinguish if there is a pathological evolution in cognitive functions, to allow long-term monitoring of the disease and provide the appropriate treatment?
• Challenge 2: Is there an easy to use digital solution to maximise independence in the daily tasks of patients living with mild cognitive impairment, through personalized cognitive or motor rehabilitation?

The challenges require patient-centric solutions which facilitate the daily activity of healthcare professionals who are supporting patients with neurological disorders, whilst in primary healthcare settings or specialized neurology clinics, as they care for people with mild cognitive impairment. The solutions should also provide the healthcare professionals with precise follow-up tools and features.

The empowerment of patients and doctors with digital health tools to address some of the concerns around cost, equity and access to healthcare is aligned  with the company vision and the purpose of Ferrer’s digital health department; to build a healthier society through digital technologies and contribute to the sustainability of healthcare systems, added Gemma Estrada, Head of Digital Health in Ferrer.

Previous year winners

Year 2019: Wellthy Therapeutics and Ferrer have co-developed a CE marked digital solution to support patients with a chronic complex clinical condition. The software medical device enhances patients’ autonomy in the management of the disease, provides structured training and gives access to health coaches. Currently, the solution is being tested in a clinical study to measure its impact on clinical outcomes and quality of life of patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Year 2020: Portabiles Healthcare Technologies and Ferrer share an interest for neurological disorders that involve gait disturbances and are working together in improving monitoring and generating objective parameters to enhance therapies that better the quality of life for patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease.

Program: at a glance

• 16/06/2021 Applications open
• 29/09/2021 Application deadline
• July-September 2021: If shortlisted, participants will deliver initial pitch
• October-November 2021: If successful, participants are given the chance to present to expert panel, lasting one hour
• Early 2022: Program initiation

Program benefits for the winner

• Mentorship & training
• Partnership
• Access to resources
• Investment