Moving Analytics Smartphone App
What surprised us was how well Veterans embraced the technology. Our work showed us that its feasible to utilize smartphones and digital tools to engage and coach this population effectively.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) April 10, 2017
Veterans who participated in a smartphone-enabled, home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program delivered via the Moving Analytics platform showed high levels of engagement and significant improvements in fitness, according to the results of a study presented last month at the American College of Cardiology’s 2017 Scientific Sessions. The study received the second-place prize as part of the Young Investigator Award competition for its contributions to cardiovascular care.
The study recruited 23 Veterans from the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center with a qualifying diagnosis for CR, such as a prior heart attack or cardiac procedure. Participants entered a 12-week, home-based rehab program delivered via the Moving Analytics platform that provided a guided exercise and educational program through a dedicated smartphone app. The app encouraged Veterans to perform and log daily exercises as well as other health metrics such as blood pressure and weight. Veterans also received phone-based coaching from a cardiac nurse who reviewed their progress remotely using an integrated cloud-based dashboard and made changes to their rehabilitation plan as needed.
The study showed that retention in this population was high with 30-and 90-day rates of 90% and 80%, respectively. Participants also showed an improvement in functional and clinical outcomes, with an increase in functional capacity of 20% and a reduced systolic blood pressure of 10 mmHg from baseline, on average. No adverse safety events reported.
“What surprised us was how well Veterans embraced the technology,” said Arash Harzand, MD, MBA, a Research Fellow at the Atlanta VA and Co-Investigator of the study. “Our work showed us that its feasible to utilize smartphones and digital tools to engage and coach this population effectively.”
“This program was not just popular with the patients, but also with the care managers,” said Amit Shah, MD, MSCR, Chief of Preventive Cardiology at the Atlanta VA and the Principal Investigator of the study, “Even though much of the communication was through the app, the patients reported feeling very connected to their coach. The daily reminders were also helpful to encourage the patients to exercise and take their medications daily.”
This study was funded by the VA Center for Innovation (VACI) as part of the growing Innovators Network Initiative designed to test and scale promising initiatives across the VA with the potential to improve Veteran care.
“Delivering virtual cardiac rehabilitation via smartphones is a great example of a powerful tool that can help improve the experience of Veterans receiving care from the VA to help improve both their health and quality of life,” said Andrea Ippolito, Innovators Network Lead at the VACI. “We are excited to collaborate with Moving Analytics through the VA Innovators Network!” The study was performed pursuant to a research and development agreement under which Moving Analytics provided their platform for the study.
The Atlanta VA team aims to build on this collaboration by expanding to more patients across multiple VA sites as part of an expanded rollout in 2017.