VR Treatment For Hallucinations Shows Promise In Ongoing Trial
In a new phase 2/3 trial, virtual avatars are being used to treat auditory verbal hallucinations, especially in people with schizophrenia (which affects 24 million people globally). Also: new health technology, health tracking apps, AI, and more.
Promising results from a new digital therapy could help tackle one of psychiatry鈥檚 most intractable problems 鈥 hearing voices. Auditory verbal hallucinations are one of the hallmarks of psychosis, particularly in people with schizophrenia, which affects 24 million people globally. These voices often bully or abuse the voice hearer, commenting incessantly on the person鈥檚 thoughts and behavior or even urging them to harm themselves. (Broderick, 10/28)
Many digital health hypertension tools aren鈥檛 effective or worth the cost, according to a new study published Monday.聽The study is the latest from聽the Peterson Health Technology Institute,聽a digital health research group that previously analyzed virtual solutions focused on diabetes聽and聽physical therapy.聽The group's analysis on virtual hypertension聽concludes that聽programs focused on behavior change and blood pressure monitoring聽fall short of providing strong clinical outcomes that would reduce long-term costs.聽(Turner, 10/28)
Don鈥檛 be fooled by the tiny decimal in iOS 18.1. Apple鈥檚 latest software update might be small in name, but it鈥檚 big in significance. Released Monday, the software brings the first wave of Apple Intelligence features鈥攖hat is, if you鈥檝e got an iPhone 15 Pro or any of the new iPhone 16 models. If you鈥檝e got a pair of AirPods Pro 2, iOS 18.1 brings the ability to take the new clinical-grade hearing test and then, if you need the assistance, set the earbuds up as a pair of hearing aids. (Stern, 10/28)
Federal regulators are confronting a new twist in drug development: manufacturers that include software with the medicine to prod patients to take pills as directed, manage side effects or track how well a treatment works. (Reed, 10/29)
Healthcare software developer Epic Systems sued Epic Staffing Group this month claiming trademark infringement, according to court documents. Epic Staffing Group disputes the claims. According to the court filing, 鈥淭he services that Epic and Epic Staffing Group offer under their EPIC-formative marks are closely related because they both can be, and are, used to provide services to healthcare providers. Epic鈥檚 customers, and consumers in general, are likely to believe Epic Staffing Group鈥檚 services originate from and/or are affiliated with Epic.鈥 (Johnson, 10/28)
Also 鈥
About 74 percent of adults older than 50 say they would have little or no trust in health information generated by artificial intelligence, according to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. The report analyzed data from a survey administered in February and March to 3,379 U.S. adults between ages 50 and 101. Over half of the adults (58 percent) reported looking for health information on the web in the past year. (Docter-Loeb, 10/28)