Sometimes we can find synergies and opportunities in unlikely places. On the one hand, we’ve all been seeing research pour in, showing how critical stress is to our well-being. Stress is the new fat! On the other hand, our team has been hard at work planning this year’s Connected Health Symposium, always looking for new ways to entice, inspire and educate attendees. So I got to thinking…. Wouldn’t it be interesting to evaluate a couple of new connected health devices and offer Symposium registrants an opportunity to participate in the study.
So it is with great excitement that I announce enrollment in our StressLess trial, evaluating the effectiveness of Muse and Spire, two personal health devices, on stress management. Folks who register for the 2016 Connected Health Symposium will be eligible. A total of 126 participants will be enrolled in this nine-week randomized, controlled study; devices will be provided to participants. In addition, all study procedures — including consent, eligibility screening and the enrollment questionnaire — will be completed using Compass, the mobile application we developed for secure online data collection.
Muse and Spire are recent technologies that could improve understanding of stress management and enhance quality of healthcare. The Spire points out when you are stressed and the Muse is an aid to meditation/mindfulness. Conventional wisdom would tell us that those who are using these devices will show reduced levels of stress episodes.
This is what we’re testing: Those who enroll will have access to the Spire to collect baseline data on current stress levels, as measured by breathing rates. After the two week baseline period, half of the participants will use the Spire device for stress management and the other half will get a Muse device, for mindfulness meditation. If the Spire and Muse devices are effective in improving stress management, study participants will have fewer episodes of stress for the duration of the study.
It’s an important study and a unique opportunity for Symposium participants to get a birds-eye view of how we conduct clinical research, its impact and, importantly, the role of study participants.
There will be a panel session at the 2016 Connected Health Symposium to discuss the lessons learned.
This is but one example of how we are always innovating at Partners Connected Health. Our thanks to Muse and Spire for supporting this study.
I hope you will register for the Symposium and take part in this exciting trial. I’m sure you’ll learn a lot!
Symposium Attendees Have the Opportunity to StressLess!
