Increasing adherence and collecting symptom-specific biometric signals in remote monitoring of heart failure patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Mobile health (mHealth) regimens can improve health through the continuous monitoring of biometric parameters paired with appropriate interventions. However, adherence to monitoring tends to decay over time. Our randomized controlled trial sought to determine: (1) if a mobile app with gamification and financial incentives significantly increases adherence to mHealth monitoring in a population of heart failure patients; and (2) if activity data correlate with disease-specific symptoms.

Daily Associations of Air Pollution and Pediatric Asthma Risk Using the Biomedical REAI-Time Health Evaluation (BREATHE) Kit.

Background: Exposure to air pollution is associated with acute pediatric asthma exacerbations, including reduced lung function, rescue medication usage, and increased symptoms; however, most studies are limited in investigating longitudinal changes in these acute effects. This study aims to investigate the effects of daily air pollution exposure on acute pediatric asthma exacerbation risk using a repeated-measures design. Methods: We conducted a panel study of 40 children aged 8−16 years with moderate-to-severe asthma.

Behavior-based diabetes management: impact on care, hospitalizations, and costs.

Objectives: To (1) examine the impact of the Diabetes Care Rewards (DCR) program on adherence to care standards and (2) evaluate the economic impact of adherence to care standards.

Study Design: A retrospective observational cohort study design with propensity matching. Additional covariates adjustment was used to minimize residual imbalance.

Intranasal Ketamine for Acute Pain.

Objectives: The aim was to review current evidence regarding the off-label use of intranasal ketamine for acute pain presenting in the setting of the emergency department, and secondary to pediatric limb injuries, renal colic, digital nerve block, and migraines.

Results: In all 5 indications reviewed, ketamine demonstrated efficacy in reducing pain. However, when compared with other agents, ketamine did not demonstrate superiority over opioids in pediatric limb injuries or renal colic and was not as efficacious as standard therapy for migraine relief.

Biomedical REAl-Time Health Evaluation (BREATHE): toward an mHealth informatics platform.

Objective: To describe a configurable mobile health (mHealth) framework for integration of physiologic and environmental sensors to be used in studies focusing on the domain of pediatric asthma.

Materials And Methods: The Biomedical REAl-Time Health Evaluation (BREATHE) platform connects different sensors and data streams, contextualizing an individual's symptoms and daily activities over time to understand pediatric asthma's presentation and its management. A smartwatch/smartphone combination serves as a hub for personal/wearable sensing devices collecting data on health (eg, heart rate, spirometry, medications), motion, and personal exposures (eg, particulate matter, ozone); securely transmitting information to BREATHE's servers; and interacting with the user (eg, ecological momentary assessments).