October 17, 2007
PAMF Receives $1.2 Million Grant for New Diabetes Management Study
Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Will Evaluate Online Disease Management
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and its Research Institute have received a $1.2 million federal grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study the use of personal health records and remote patient monitoring in managing diabetes - one of the most costly and prevalent chronic health conditions. Approximately 20.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, a condition in which an individual's blood glucose level is too high.
"Traditionally, patients receive advice and instructions from their health care team," said Paul Tang, M.D., chief medical information officer at PAMF and the study's principal investigator. "In this study, 400 patients will be split into experimental and control groups, and we will evaluate the impact of providing online disease management tools on the control of a patient's diabetes and its complications."
Dr. Tang said that patients in the intervention group will be provided with online access to their health data, customized health information resources about their care plan, self-management tools and the services of a care manager to help them manage their diabetes.
One component of the intervention will include monitoring home glucose readings and automatically uploading them wirelessly to PAMF through a solution developed by several companies, including iMetrikus, Epic Systems, Palm and Sprint. Currently, patients with diabetes have to track their glucose levels on paper logs and share them with their health care providers during office visits. The wireless solution will automatically upload the home readings to the patient's electronic health record at PAMF, where the patient's entire health care team will be able to access it, and plan or adjust the patient's medications and treatment plan as needed.
The study is one of several parts of a larger initiative being developed by PAMF and Sutter Health, of which PAMF is an affiliate, called the Personalized Health Care Program, which seeks to tailor care for chronic diseases to each individual patient. The goal of the Personalized Health Care Program is to give patients the tools necessary to be an equal partner with their health care team in managing their health care, said Dr. Tang, as people are more likely to adopt healthy behaviors and follow their health care team's treatment plan if they are part of the care process.
"Patient buy-in and involvement has a tremendous impact on their health behaviors," he said. "Doctors can tell patients what to do to be their healthiest, but ultimately, it is up to the patient to decide whether to follow a healthy diet, take their medications and follow their doctor's advice. By giving diabetic patients the tools with which to take a more active part in managing their own care, we can improve outcomes and make care more efficient."
PAMF will apply results of the study to implement the Personalized Health Care Program and develop a platform for managing chronic diseases at PAMF and throughout the Sutter Health system.
"I believe that empowering patients to be fully informed members of their health care team will transform health care," concluded Dr. Tang.
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