Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, center, with Bruce Darrow, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Chief Medical Information Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, left, and Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Global Affairs, the Philip J. and Harriet L. Goodhart Professor of Medicine, and editorial board member of Mount Sinai’s upcoming Journal of Digital Medicine Evidence.
A new knowledge and data-sharing platform created by researchers at the Mount Sinai Health System is designed to help physicians weed through the thousands of mobile health apps that enter the market each year and identify the ones that successfully improve patient health. Called NODE Health (Network of Digital Evidence in Health), the platform was created by researchers at Mount Sinai’s AppLab, which is led by Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, Chief Technology Innovation and Engagement Officer in the Department of Medicine, and Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology). NODEHealth.org will provide physicians and other health care providers with an evidence-based review process and data-sharing network that is similar to ClinicalTrials.gov, enabling them to compare studies from around the world to find the health care apps that work best for their specialized needs.
Physicians will be able to share information about digital products, such as apps that are being used experimentally, to prevent duplication of efforts. They will also be able to launch initiatives that support multisite digital medicine pilots, publish their results in the new online Journal of Digital Medicine Evidence that will go live in the summer, and be able to refer to a registry of digital medicine trials. Health systems and academic medical centers will also be able to host free webinars on the site.
“So much innovation is taking place. There are now more than 165,000 health apps in the Apple store and no one knows what to do with them,” says Dr. Atreja. “What’s lacking is evidence that shows the value of these apps in terms of improving patient outcomes. We need to know which ones are high quality. We are shaping a consortium of academic medical centers and health systems that will work together to lay the foundation for evidence-based digital medicine and apply the same scientific approach to apps that we have for drugs.”
The burgeoning health app market reflects increased demand from consumers and health care providers. A 2015 survey by Research Now, a market research firm, found that an overwhelming majority of health care providers think apps can increase their knowledge about patients’ conditions and encourage patients to take more responsibility for their own health. According to the survey, 96 percent of consumers thought the apps helped improve their quality of life.
“Doctors should demand the same standard of evidence for an app that they would demand for a pill,” says Dr. Atreja. “None of us can build evidence alone. That’s why we are launching a global network that will also provide a formal channel for Mount Sinai trainees, researchers, and clinicians to engage with and contribute to the latest in digital medicine initiatives.”
Mount Sinai Health System providers across different specialties can join the Mount Sinai Innovation Champions group and become part of NODE Health by emailing Dr. Atreja at ashish.atreja@mssm.edu.