Mobile health focus of IBM, diabetes association collaboration

A partnership between the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and IBM may foster a personalized mHealth app that gets smarter over time and works with Watson Care Manager.

The entities also are developing a diabetes-focused app development challenge for tools that tap the association’s deep data and IBM Watson’s cognitive insights, according to an announcement.

The goal is to build Watson-based tools to drive better clinical, lifestyle and research decisions relating to the chronic disease.

"By combining the Association's enormous body of valuable data with Watson's cognitive computing capabilities, we will empower people living with diabetes, clinicians and researchers with better data and better insights, which ultimately can lead to better outcomes," ADA CEO Kevin L. Hagan said in the announcement.

Diabetes is one of the most popular focal points for mHealth apps, given the increasing diagnosis. As FierceMobileHealthcare has reported, apps for tracking insulin levels, as well as other health-related issues, are increasingly being embraced. A recent study notes more than one-third of mobile phone users with chronic conditions are already leveraging healthcare apps, while 86 percent are interested in using apps to boost their personal health.

The ADA and IBM also intend to build what they call the first-of-its-kind diabetes advisor to help both patients and caregivers, as well as a cognitive diabetes database to drive better treatment decision and care approaches.

For more information:
- read the announcement