NATIONAL HARBOR, MD—The Multiple Sclerosis @Point of Care clinician app, powered by IBM Watson, and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) patient app My MS Manager facilitate the interface of clinicians and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can lead to changes in MS management and improved patient outcomes, according to a presentation at the 2016 CMSC Annual Meeting. “A growing number of patients are using the My MS Manager app to enter their data, track their MS management, and share this data with their clinicians,” said lead author Elaine Rudell, PhD, CHCP, from @Point of Care in Livingston, New Jersey, and colleagues.
Multiple Sclerosis @Point of Care, powered by IBM Watson, and the patient app, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America’s My MS Manager, use a HIPAA-compliant mobile platform to provide practice-based tools designed to enable shared decision-making. “These tools provide clinicians with access to evidence-based answers at the point of care while incorporating patient-reported outcomes,” said Dr. Rudell. The clinician platform contains up-to-date information about the etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and management of MS. A cognitive learning tool answers specific questions clinicians pose to improve patient outcomes. The patient app provides patients with the ability to collect and track data (eg, activities of daily living, fatigue scale records, and medications) as well as utilize their personalized data for follow-up discussion with their health care provider.
In the present study, Dr. Rudell and colleagues sought to assess how clinicians utilize and value Multiple Sclerosis @Point of Care and the companion patient app. Data were collected and analyzed from clinicians caring for patients with MS and their participating patients. Data included demographic information, clinicians’ questions posed to the Ask Watson cognitive learning tool, clinicians’ self-reported impact of content on their patients’ health outcomes, number of registered patient app users, average active users/month, patient access frequency, patient record entries, and proprietary patient survey findings that further assess how patients use and value the app.
Currently, 10,627 clinicians use the platform. These providers spend an average of eight minutes per visit on the Multiple Sclerosis @Point of Care platform. Of these users, 77% are repeat users. Nearly 80% of learners posing questions on demand were neurologists, internists, general practitioners, or family practitioners treating patients with MS.
The patient app had 6,880 registered users at the time of the study, with an average of 1,022 active users per month. Active use of the app by patients with MS in this study resulted in 28,794 journal records for activities of daily living, 1,897 fatigue scale journal records, and 3,640 adherence journal records.
Patients accessed the patient app daily (31%), weekly (46%), and monthly (23%). Nearly 80% of patients reported that the app helps them better track how they are doing. Nearly 80% also agreed that regular use of the patient app improved their ability to discuss and manage their MS. Almost 90% of patient users agreed that the app motivated them to talk with clinicians about MS management. Nearly 75% of patient users shared their records with their clinicians. More than 70% of patients agreed that sharing records with their clinician has improved their MS management and sense of well-being.
Regarding the fatigue scale results, patients also agreed that clinicians are more aware of fatigue’s impact on their daily lives (80% of patient respondents), improved fatigue management (75%), and improved management of fatigue-related cognitive function (65%).
After reviewing patient records, clinicians changed medications (14%), changed other aspects of treatment plans (10%), suggested lifestyle changes (6%), requested more tests (1%), or concurred that treatment was on track (no changes, 69%).
This study was funded by @Point of Care.
—Glenn S. Williams