Lark Health, the leading chronic disease prevention and management platform, and Omron Healthcare, Inc., the global leader in personal heart health and wellness technology, today released the results of a joint analysis that shows the benefits of real-time coaching through artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with a connected home blood pressure monitoring device for controlling hypertension. After six months of using Lark’s Hypertension Management Program paired with an upper arm blood pressure monitor from Omron, participants experienced a sustained average blood pressure reduction of 8.4/6.4 mm Hg. Research has shown that a 5 mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure is associated with a 34% reduction in stroke risk, according to a study in the JAMA.
Lark’s AI Hypertension Management Program, which is based on the American Heart Association’s care plan guidelines, includes regular blood pressure collection and hypertension-specific coaching that incorporates interpretation of blood pressure measurements, hypertension education, hypertension-specific nutrition coaching through voice or text, and medication adherence guidance. Participants received the Omron 7 Series (BP 761N) Wireless Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor, which is connected via Bluetooth and automatically records the participants’ blood pressure readings for analysis by the Lark platform.
“Nearly 1 in 2 American adults have high blood pressure. That’s a staggering portion of our population who are at-risk for a wide range of serious conditions like stroke, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease,” said Lark CEO and Co-Founder Julia Hu. “In order to solve this escalating health crisis, we need health solutions that can easily scale at a more affordable price than current care management solutions in the market. That’s why we are so pleased to partner with Omron on a hypertension management program that is showing such promising results.”
The study included 76 participants with an average age of 61.8 years and a starting average systolic blood pressure of 139.2 mm Hg. Omron and Lark concluded that an intervention program that includes both home monitoring of blood pressure as well as activity tracking, education, medication adherence, and nutrition counseling services can be highly effective for hypertension management. The study captured systolic and diastolic blood pressure collected through at-home measurements, and resulted in the average dropping to 130.8 (a decrease of 8.4 mm Hg) at six months. Additionally, the average starting diastolic blood pressure was 89.0 and decreased to 82.6 (a 6.4 mm Hg reduction) at six months.
“These findings endorse the efficacy of home blood pressure monitoring and coaching to empower and engage patients in effective hypertension management,” said Jim Li, Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Omron Healthcare, Inc. “Millions of Americans have hypertension, and Omron is focused on how monitoring and digital health innovations can help every one of them toward better heart health.”
In addition to seeing decreasing blood pressure, engagement data from the Lark program indicates participants were actively using the platform to better manage their hypertension throughout the duration of the six months. Participants averaged 141 one-on-one counseling sessions with their Lark coach, 185 blood pressure measurements (one per day), and the average participant satisfaction score for this study group was 9.45 on a 10-point scale. This level of engagement is unparalleled among disease management platforms and impossible to replicate with more traditional programs leveraging telephonic health coaches.
Current national data shows the need for ongoing patient behavior support: As pointed out by the CDC, less than ten percent of Americans consume a healthy diet, while just half of all Americans achieve the recommended 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week. According to the American Heart Association, almost 50 percent of patients taking blood pressure medication still experience blood pressure levels considered “uncontrolled”. In addition, only 36.6 percent of those diagnosed with hypertension self-monitor blood pressure at home at least once a month, noted the CDC, and only 20 percent of patients adhere to their medication routine, according to the AHA Journal of Hypertension.
Source: Company Press Release
