October 26, 2022 – University of Utah Health has launched a new initiative that seeks to better integrate digital health applications into daily medical care including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening conditions.
The Digital Health Initiative (DHI) aims to develop, evaluate, and distribute tools designed to improve mental health, home monitoring, self-care, and patient-centered clinical decision support. The goal is to create health apps that are more scientifically based and reliable than those that are currently available. DHI is supported by a substantial grant from the Office of Senior Vice President for Health Sciences at U of U Health.
These tools will cultivate the well-being of patients and help doctors deliver health care more effectively and efficiently, according to Guilherme Del Fiol, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of DHI and a professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at U of U Health.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, we have seen a dramatic expansion of the use of digital health tools such as telehealth,” Del Fiol says. “Patients are more comfortable using this kind of technology at home, either for self-care or to connect with health care systems. So, there’s a tremendous opportunity for even more innovations that will transform how health care is delivered.”
To keep up with this growing demand, DHI plans to drive digital health research forward by developing:
- Mobile apps and games for health
- Virtual reality and sensors
- Clinical decision support tools
- Integration with electronic health records (EHR)
Many of these efforts will be modeled after earlier research U of U Health, including:
- Using a platform that scans electronic health records to identify patients with a family history of cancer. Automated chatbots then reach out to eligible patients, educate them about genetics, and offer genetic testing.
- Using Neurogrow, a video game designed to treat older adults with treatment-resistant depression. The game, which is in clinical trials, allows players to care for a virtual garden. Researchers believe this activity strengthens circuits in the brain that can elevate mood.
- Using text messaging, chatbots, and patient navigation to diminish access barriers to COVID-19 testing. These tools provide tailored information and offer free access to mailed at-home test kits to communities experiencing health disparities.
- Using a digital health application integrated with electronic health records to improve lung cancer screening. The app enables patients and their doctors to review individualized health risk information and make informed screening decisions.