CENTER FOR CONNECTED HEALTH LAUNCHES cHEALTH COMPASS, A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND RESEARCH TOOL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CONSUMERS WANT -AND HOW THEY USE – PERSONAL CONNECTED HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
New mobile platform to aid in the design, testing and implementation of connected health technologies and products
DECEMBER 8, 2014, BOSTON, MA — The Center for Connected Health today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind research tool to help companies, device manufacturers, startups and investors better understand what consumers want from — and how they actually use — personal health technologies. The cHealth Compass mobile platform creates customized surveys targeting a large research panel of U.S. adult healthcare consumers, patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals, to answer questions to support the design, testing and implementation of connected health technologies and products.
At the Center for Connected Health, we strongly believe in patient-centered approaches to developing and deploying connected health products. Including the end users, in this case, consumers, in every step of the innovation process ensures that products will actually solve problems our patients face, and lead to better adoption and engagement.” said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, Director, Center for Connected Health. “We have the unique advantage of operating within the Partners HealthCare network, giving us unparalleled access to leading healthcare providers and their patients, to conduct real-world, real-time research. Companies working with the cHealth Compass will benefit from the same clinical expertise, in-depth knowledge of health and consumer technologies, and innovative outside-the-box thinking and practical real-world experience our team brings to bear.
Led by Kamal Jethwani, MD, MPH, Corporate Manager for Research and Innovation at the Center for Connected Health, cHealth Compass will be used to create a research panel of U.S. adult healthcare consumers, patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. Participants will complete monthly surveys to provide longitudinal data on their health and to shed insight on how various individual, family and community-level factors influence health behaviors, severity of medical conditions, lifestyle change and self-management of medical conditions, and technology adoption. The cHealth Compass tool, in addition to administering brief surveys to participants, can be used to quickly identify and recruit participants for research studies.
“So often, we see companies develop a device or program in a vacuum, without access to the individuals who could benefit from the product, ” added Jethwani. “cHealth Compass enables companies, developers and startups to listen to and learn from the people who will ultimately use their product or service — patients, health consumers, providers, caregivers and others. We deliver actionable insights that can help to save valuable time to market, money and resources by answering specific business questions, facilitating real-world testing or providing targeted market analysis unique to connected health technologies.”
Based on a company’s objectives and areas of interest, study subjects may be invited to focus group discussions, one-on-one interviews, or participate in-person usability testing and feedback or other data collection activities. In addition to qualitative methods, participants may also be asked to complete questionnaires specific to a research question and topic. cHealth Compass can provide:
- Product Design identifies and tests key design specifications, usability and user feedback
- Product Evaluation assesses adoption, engagement and potential health and wellness outcomes
- Needs Assessment defines use cases, potential applications, challenges, opportunities and feasibility
- Product Testing evaluates the technical design, clinical applications, workflow issues, and usability
The cHealth Compass team includes healthcare providers, research scientists, clinical psychologists, business analysts, developers and UI/UX experts with deep experience implementing connected health solutions across an array of technologies, communication platforms, patient populations and care settings.
About Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health care entities. Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Partners is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization. Visit www.partners.org.
About the Center for Connected Health
The Center for Connected Health is creating effective, new solutions and innovative interventions to deliver quality patient care outside of traditional medical settings. Our programs use a combination of remote-monitoring technology, sensors, and online communications and intelligence to improve patient adherence, engagement and clinical outcomes. The Center also offers expert online second opinions, virtual visits, and engages in innovative research to uncover new models for better care. The Center’s Consulting Services assist companies, providers and other organizations to learn more about entering the connected health space and to prepare products and services for integration into the healthcare delivery system. The Center for Connected Health is a division of Partners HealthCare, a Boston-based healthcare delivery system founded by its Harvard Medical School affiliated teaching institutions, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Visit www.partners.org/connectedhealth.
