Partners Connected Health, part of Partners HealthCare, and global biopharmaceutical company UCB are collaborating to develop digital health solutions designed to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy.

The collaboration will focus on addressing unmet needs currently faced by some of the 3 million Americans living with epilepsy. The ultimate goal is to provide better connectivity between patients, healthcare providers and payers, delivering improved experiences and better treatment outcomes, the companies said.

[Also: Johns Hopkins tests EpiWatch app on Apple Watch to track seizures]

“Addressing patients’ unmet needs is an important opportunity to create insightful, patient-focused and evidence-based digital health solutions to help people with epilepsy live healthier lives,” said Kamal Jethwani, MD, senior director, innovation, at Partners Connected Health. “This collaboration combines UCB’s world-class epilepsy expertise with the unique focus and experience of our user-centered design team, as well as direct access to our providers, patients and caregivers within the Partners HealthCare network.”

Partners Connected Health is confident it can build compelling and effective new care-based solutions, which could improve the standard of care in epilepsy, Jethwani said.

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This project will leverage UCB’s experience in epilepsy and extensive ethnographic research, which focused on understanding the lived experiences of people with epilepsy and their families, to develop solutions to improve outcomes and quality of life. The project team will work to improve four key areas identified within UCB’s research, which can present challenges for people with epilepsy.

The first area is “life in between,” as living with epilepsy encompasses a life of actively waiting. The second is “complexity of control,” as control for people living with epilepsy is the power to choose, not the medical definition of seizure control.

The third area is “care is a family affair,” acknowledgment and understanding about the critical role family members and caregivers can play, along with patients and healthcare professionals, in the management of epilepsy. And the fourth is “welcome to the system,” tackling the complexity faced by patients when accessing healthcare, reducing information overload and improving healthcare system navigation.

“We are committed to delivering value to people with epilepsy and to the people and services who support them,” said Mike Davis, head of the U.S. neurology patient value unit at UCB. “By addressing real-world patient challenges and embracing the lived experiences of people with epilepsy, we hope this collaboration will enhance patient care, ultimately delivering value to people living with epilepsy.”

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com