Wellpepper is a clinically validated patient engagement platform. Sentara is an integrated not-for-profit system of 12 hospitals and more than 100 sites of care, including a robust neurosciences program.
Sentara patients who suffer from migraines and other severe headaches are able to use the Wellpepper mobile application to report their headache experiences in real time, including pain, triggers and use of over-the-counter or prescription medication.
Sentara Neurologists are able to use the information collected to diagnose, treat and monitor the ongoing progress of headache patients with the goal of better outcomes, fewer office visits and lower healthcare costs.
"We believe Wellpepper can help us provide timely care for headache patients," said Alexander Grunsfeld, MD, medical director for Sentara Neurosciences. "Sentara encourages patients to be partners with us in their care and the Wellpepper solution offers a new opportunity to achieve that goal."
Currently, when patients are referred to a neurologist, they are asked to complete surveys and try to remember what triggered their headaches. Follow-up surveys are typically given every 3-6 months. The result is often multiple office visits and patient care is delayed until the root causes for headaches are eventually discovered.
Data collected through the Wellpepper application is presented to healthcare providers via a clinical dashboard. Neurologists can easily communicate with headache patients to alter treatment plans without the patient having to unnecessarily visit the office. Wellpepper also provides a way for patients to log pain levels using the visual analog pain scale and to record medication use and how much.
"Too often, data collection from patients is disconnected from their care plan," said Anne Weiler, co-founder and CEO of Wellpepper.
Approximately 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men between the ages of 12 and 80 suffer from migraines in the U.S.
