Stanford's mHealth Project Targets Heart Health in Underserved Populations

Stanford Medicine will soon be launching a new program that aism to determine whether mHealth wearables can be used to manage cardiovascular health in underserved populations.

Armed with a $2.5 million grant from the American Heart Association, the California health system’s Center for Digital Health will develop a research program targeted at black and Hispanic people and drivers for ridesharing companies.

“This grant will help promote our research into expanding the use of digital health care to help make medical decisions remotely,” Mintu Turakhia, MD, the center’s executive director and an associate professor of medicine at Stanford, said in a press release.

“Hypertension affects 115 million Americans,” he added. “For many, getting treatment - going to the doctor, getting medicine, getting exercise and going back to the doctor - is not feasible.” 

The program will begin with in-person treatment, after which participants will be equipped with an mHealth platform, including a blood pressure cuff and smartphone app, to monitor their health and home and stay in touch with care providers.

The grant is part of a larger $14 million partnership between the AHA and Stanford Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to work on several projects aimed at using mHealth and telehealth technology to reduce healthcare disparities.