Koneksa Health enables oncology research at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care by facilitating the collection and visualization of activity data from Garmin vivofit® devices.
NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) DECEMBER 12, 2016
Today, Koneksa Health, an early stage company focused on the integration of real world data into clinical research, announced a research project using Garmin vivofit® devices to track the activity of cancer patients during concurrent chemo-radiotherapy.
The research project, which is underway at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and led by Nitin Ohri, M.D., attending physician, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and assistant professor of radiation oncology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tracks the daily physical activity of head and neck, lung and gastrointestinal cancer patients during concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
In a previous trial, the study team developed an algorithm that inspects trends in activity levels to predict unplanned hospitalizations related to toxicity from treatment. In the latest study, clinicians will provide enhanced, supportive care for patients who are predicted to be at high risk for hospitalization based on activity data, with the objective of preventing admissions and treatment interruptions. This new outlet for continuity of care and patient tracking has important implications on the quality of life for high risk patients, who are often times unsure of what to do regarding their illness.
Using Koneksa’s platform and software dashboard, Dr. Ohri and his team are able to view and identify trends in “step data.” The Koneksa Compare software dashboard provides charts to succinctly utilize data to inform study decisions. Koneksa’s software platform is designed to securely ingest, monitor and analyze health data from mobile and digital tools in a manner compliant with international standards for the management and security of clinical trials. “With the emergence of wearable technology, we are able to capture much more robust data about a patient’s reaction to therapy,” said Dr. Ohri. “We recently demonstrated that activity trackers can serve as objective and dynamic monitoring systems of patients’ functional status during chemoradiotherapy. The devices can be used in a variety of observational settings to appropriately track correlations of medical events and the patients care experience. I believe activity monitoring has the potential to tremendously improve the way oncologists evaluate and follow cancer patients through treatment and the survivorship setting.”
This project builds upon similar research that Koneksa has supported in collaboration with healthcare providers such as UPMC and the biotechnology industry. “Working with clinicians such as Dr. Ohri who apply innovative tools and develop creative ways of measuring a patient’s status has been a phenomenal opportunity that is perfectly aligned with Koneksa’s focus and values,” said Matt Cantor, Vice President of Business Operations for Koneksa Health. “By identifying the right tools and robust methods for inspecting patients’ real-world behavior, we have an opportunity to quickly translate research into solutions that can demonstrably improve the care of people battling cancer.”
Each time study participants visit Montefiore, activity data is automatically synced from their Garmin vivofit device to the Koneksa Compare dashboard via the vivohub™ system, which has been installed at key points in the Cancer Center. Doug Jones, Director of Garmin Health, stated, “Working with organizations such as Montefiore and Koneksa Health has been a great opportunity for Garmin. The water resistance and battery life of our devices makes it a perfect fit for clinical research projects which require the passive collection of data. Paring this with the seamless upload of data with the vivohub™ system makes the study a great use of our end-to-end technology.”
Based on initial study results, Montefiore and Koneksa will pursue additional research on how to best standardize care guidelines focused on increasing physical activity to reduce systemic inflammation and improve outcomes among cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Dr. Ohri and his team will also investigate how new technologies, including customized step count goals, can reduce missed hospital treatments and improve patients’ quality of life. Follow their progress at the Koneksa blog here.
About Koneksa
Koneksa Health is a private technology company focused on the incorporation of real-world data into clinical research. Koneksa works primarily with data gathered through mobile, wearable and other digital technologies. Koneksa is committed to transforming the way health is measured by leveraging emergent technology in order to break data collection out of the four walls of the clinic while improving the quality of patient care and health outcomes data.
About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq:GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin and vívofit are registered trademarks, and vivohub is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.