New Study Between Tufts Medical Center and Sherbit Finds that Guided Remote Interventions Lead to Better Outcomes for Hypertensive & Diabetic Patients

Chronic medical conditions often require a higher level of care yet most patients who live with chronic disease don’t have the time, money or access to see a physician so frequently. There is now evidence that digital therapeutics can play a role in chronic disease management by reducing costs, increasing access to care while improving outcomes on a population scale.

The 7-week long pilot study was conducted at Tufts Medical Center (Boston, MA) with the Sherbit digital health platform on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The study used internet connected blood pressure monitors from iHealth to monitor patients in real time and engage them with text messages based on behavioral economics. Patients received individualized messages with tailored advice and encouragement promoting a healthy lifestyle (exercise and diet) and increased medication compliance.

At the beginning of the trial, patients completed questionnaires to establish a baseline about their health goals and medication adherence. They were then asked to take blood pressure measurements twice a day for seven weeks. The data was wirelessly collected via healthcare analytics platform, Sherbit and accessible to the research staff for review in real-time.

All patients reported the blood pressure monitoring to be useful, and nearly all (89%) found it easy to use. At the end of the study, 82% of participants reported high medication adherence compared to 75% at baseline. Among the participants, mean blood pressure improved from 147/84 mmHg (week 0) to 143/81 mmHg (week 4–7) and HbA1c was drastically lowered in all patients.

About Tufts Medical Center

Tufts Medical Center is an internationally-respected academic medical center — a teaching hospital where that prides itself not only in the sophistication of the care provided but the compassionate way in which it is delivered. Tufts Medical Center cares for all patients from the tiniest newborns at their full-service pediatric hospital, Floating Hospital for Children to centenarians in at their specialized Geriatrics clinic.

About Sherbit

Sherbit helps providers succeed in the digital health era with real-time data and actionable insights about their patients. Care teams can monitor patients through 100+ connected health devices to effectively engage them with coaching, action plans, and preventative alerts. Sherbit’s algorithms look through the patient’s data to find anomalies and alert providers prior to an adverse event. Sherbit was recently recognized by the Harvard Medical School as the most innovative company in primary care as well as one of the most promising healthcare companies by Partners Healthcare. To learn more, please visit: www.sherbit.io.