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Tag: evidence based
01/26/2023

Geisel Launches New Center for Implementation Science

Article Excerpt: Despite the many advances made in academic medicine in recent decades, successfully applying what is learned in research to patient care remains a major challenge. For example, it takes, on average, 17 years for research to reach clinical practice. And most evidence-based guidelines are adopted only about 25 percent of the time. With the establishment of the new Dartmouth Center for Implementation Science (DCIS) at the Geisel School of Medicine, community partners across the Dartmouth enterprise will work to help close those gaps. “Implementation science is an emerging area of multidisciplinary research that focuses on moving scientific evidence into routine practice,” explains Jeremiah Brown, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at Geisel and founding director of DCIS. In addition to Brown, the DCIS leadership team includes co-directors Sarah Lord, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and biomedical data science, Kelly Aschbrenner, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and principal scientist at Dartmouth Health, and program manager Sherry Owens, PhD. Genevieve Shaefer ’26, the first Women In Science Project (WISP) intern for DCIS, will be working with the team on campus engagement and training.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mhxzk79r

Article Source: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine News

01/25/2023

NCI-Funded Centers Study New Ways to Apply Telehealth Across Cancer Care

Article Excerpt: …with the initial urgency of the pandemic in the past, public health agencies including NCI are examining ways to maximize the benefits of telehealth, from cancer screening to survivorship. NCI’s former director, Norman “Ned” Sharpless, MD, inspired agency officials to undertake a widespread effort to accelerate and optimize use of telehealth, (Robin C.) Vanderpool (chief of the health communication and informatics research branch in the division of cancer control and population sciences at NCI) said. “Dr. Sharpless came to our division and said, ‘We need take advantage of this one silver lining coming out of the pandemic.’” she said. “‘We need to understand what’s happening in the cancer space with telehealth.’”

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4r8h2yyu

Article Source: Healio

10/23/2022

Can VR Act as A Digital Therapeutic?

Article Excerpt: Our digital, two-dimensional lives leave little room for focus. Our eyes dart from screen to screen over the course of the day as notifications and messages draw our attention away from tasks, from relaxation, from the faces of our loved ones. Through all of its flatness, our digital lives are dominated by distraction—so much so that we can sometimes forget to breathe. Finding lasting inner peace from within this flattened world can be a neurological nightmare. Mindfulness and meditation apps, digital health’s answer in the last decade, use many of the same engagement methods that have propelled other consumer applications like games and fitness apps to success. Strategies like achievements and social connectivity have kept many users coming back to engage in evidence-based, clinically effective therapies. But even the most effective and engaging mindfulness apps can’t transcend the noise and distraction of our everyday lives.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mryfpr8m

Article Source: Fast Company

04/26/2022

Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy Prioritizes Digital Therapeutics Reimbursement for Substance Use

Article Excerpt: The Biden Administration is encouraging new digital therapeutics reimbursement strategies in both the public and private sector as part of its National Drug Control Strategy report. In the plan the White House pitches digital therapeutics, evidence-based treatments delivered through software interventions to treat or manage a condition, as a potential tool to help expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatments. The reimbursement plans, which was first spotted by Exits and Outcomes, was part of a larger plan to tackle substance use disorders.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mr82ered

Article Source: Behavioral Health Business

02/28/2022

Digital Therapeutics Should Be Regulated With Gold-Standard Evidence

Article Excerpt: There is enormous growth in the digital health sector, illustrated by huge capital investment, and a massive proliferation of mental and behavioral health apps and associated marketing claims. We are particularly concerned about one component of this sector, namely “software as a medical device”, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines as “software intended to be used for one or more medical purposes,….without being part of a hardware medical device,” and where the purpose is “treatment or alleviation of disease.” This new approach to treatment, increasingly referred to as digital therapeutics (DTx), has the potential to transform mental health care. The global DTx market was valued at more than $3.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $23.5 billion by 2030. According to industry reporting, the largest number of DTx programs today are related to mental health, and most FDA submissions for DTx use cognitive behavioral therapy to promote behavior change in conditions ranging from insomnia to substance use disorder. The opportunity for innovation is clear. However, there are challenges that must be addressed.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2myajfns

Article Source: Health Affairs

08/05/2021

William C. Torrey, MD, Appointed to Raymond Sobel Professorship

Article Excerpt: William C. Torrey, MD, interim chair and professor of psychiatry and of health policy and clinical practice at the Geisel School of Medicine, has been appointed to the Raymond Sobel Professorship in Psychiatry for a two-year term effective June 1, 2021. Torrey is dedicated to improving care for adults with severe mental illness and integrating psychiatric care into primary care. His research, writing, and teaching focus on supported employment, integrated services for adults with co-occurring substance use disorders and severe mental illnesses, evidence-based practice implementation, collaborative care in primary care, and shared decision making in medication management for adults with psychiatric and addictive illnesses.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/kzrbzv9u

Article Source: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine News

06/25/2021

Supplements for Weight Loss: Do They Work?

Article Excerpt: Weight loss supplements come in a variety of forms, including pills, gummies, powders, and liquids, like teas.They often tout fast and easy weight loss with a promise that you can lose inches without having to rely solely on eating a balanced diet or exercising regularly.And they’re extremely popular. The weight loss supplement industry was worth $6.5 billion in 2020. But do these supplements actually work? A new comprehensive study published in the journal ObesityTrusted Source on June 23 has found that dietary supplements do not result in dramatic weight loss as they claim.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4tan54sf

Article Source: Healthline

06/23/2021

The Terrible Science Behind Popular Weight Loss Products

Article Excerpt: To scientists and some consumers, it’s likely no surprise most weight loss supplements and treatments aren’t backed by robust evidence. The supplement industry is loosely regulated, reducing incentives for companies to produce convincing evidence that their weight-loss claims are true. Still, the weight loss industry remains a behemoth: A money-making enterprise that uses tactics like celebrity endorsements and doctored images to convince people there’s a quick and easy way to shed pounds. This study further reinforces the fact that the majority of weight loss products are not medicines backed by empirical evidence.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/cy2ep478

Article Source: Inverse

No Strong Evidence Supplements Do Anything for Weight Loss, Large Review Finds

Article Excerpt: Dietary supplements don’t do much to help people lose weight—that’s the verdict from a large new review published Wednesday. The review found little high-quality evidence from studies trying to test these supplements’ claimed benefits and only inconsistent evidence that some supplements could possibly offer a small boost in losing weight. Plenty of people have turned to dietary supplements to help them reach their weight goals. According to survey data, about a third of American adults trying to lose weight have used supplements in the past. Estimates range, but the weight loss supplement market is also thought to bring in billions of dollars annually. Unfortunately, supplements don’t undergo the same level of scrutiny before they reach the public as drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration do, and many studies have suggested that their health benefits aren’t as potent as advertised. This new research, published in the July 2021 issue of the journal Obesity, seems to show the same is true when it comes to weight loss.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/66tmspty

Article Source: Gizmodo