With hype for digital technology at an all-time high, new systems are being developed to help review new tools within healthcare.
To that end, the Peterson Center on Healthcare announced a $50 million initiative this week aimed at evaluating digital health tools, with the goal of providing “rigorous, evidence based assessments,” the company said in a statement.
The newly created Peterson Health Technology Institute aims to be an “unbiased resource” for assessing technology, to produce both better and more cost-effective outcomes.
The PHTI will spend roughly one month developing an assessment framework and methodology, with the goal of providing the actual evaluations beginning in 2024, Fierce Healthcare reports.
“Senior housing operators have been quick to adopt age-tech solutions that include sensors to monitor residents, virtual care platforms, and technology to increase workforce efficiency,” Peterson Center Executive Director Caroline Pearson told the McKnight’s Tech Daily on Wednesday “However, many of these technology solutions have limited evidence about their clinical benefits or budget impact. Senior housing operators, as well as home-based providers, need better information about what technology solutions will work best to support older adults’ health and well-being.”
Even as funding for digital health tech has increased tenfold over the past decade, 80% of digital health products are not backed up by clinical evidence, PHTI’s website states.
Tech literacy remains a concern among seniors and long-term care facilities. In some places, tech coaches, both in-house and virtual, are being contracted to assist residents and workers with how to use new technology.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, older adults themselves remain skeptical about its use, studies show. This is particularly true as a substitute for primary care, although seniors are accepting — if not overly enthusiastic — of technology overall, as the McKnight’s Tech Daily has reported.
At a smaller scale than PHTI, companies like Dandelion Health are beginning programs to evaluate AI in specific-use cases, such as for assisting electrocardiograms.
