ehive Studies

Name: ehive Studies
Author: Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Researchers & AcademicsClinicians & Healthcare Professionals

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App Summary

The ehive Studies platform enables researchers to conduct large-scale digital health studies by allowing participants to provide e-consent and share real-world data through app-based activities and connected devices. An evaluation of its initial deployment (N=1484) demonstrated its successful use across eight studies, including observational studies and clinical trials, engaging participants from 36 states. The associated research concludes that such centralized platforms provide a novel tool for investigators to conduct large-scale, longitudinal studies by combining multiple streams of real-world data.

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Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Developed by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, ehive Studies is a centralized digital health platform for longitudinal research. The system facilitates e-consent and subsequent multimodal data collection through a participant-facing mobile interface. Sessions involve study-specific activities such as responding to questionnaires, viewing informational videos, or syncing data from connected wearable devices. The platform leverages automated, light-touch engagement methods to promote high degrees of participant retention for long-term data acquisition.

Evidence & Research Context

The platform's technical development, e-consent architecture, and data infrastructure are detailed in a published study protocol.
Since its 2020 launch, the platform has been utilized to host multiple studies, including observational cohorts and clinical trials, enrolling approximately 1,484 participants across 36 U.S. states.
The system integrates with electronic health records for large-scale recruitment and uses validated methods to sustain participant engagement over time.

Intended Use & Scope

ehive Studies is designed for clinicians and researchers to conduct remote digital health studies and collect longitudinal, real-world data. The platform's primary utility is as a research tool for data acquisition. It does not provide clinical diagnoses, medical advice, or therapeutic interventions. All participation is governed by study-specific protocols approved by an Institutional Review Board.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Study Protocol

Development of the ehive Digital Health App: Protocol for a Centralized Research Platform

Hirten et al. (2023) · JMIR Research Protocols

Research study planned or in progress; results not yet available

Background The increasing use of smartphones, wearables, and connected devices has enabled the increasing application of digital technologies for research. Remote digital study platforms comprise a patient-interfacing digital application that enables multimodal data collection from a mobile app and connected sources. They offer an opportunity to recruit at scale, acquire data longitudinally at a high frequency, and engage study participants at any time of the day in any place. Few published descriptions of centralized digital research platforms provide a framework for their development. Objective This study aims to serve as a road map for those seeking to develop a centralized digital research platform. We describe the technical and functional aspects of the ehive app, the centralized digital research platform of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York. We then provide information about ongoing studies hosted on ehive, including usership statistics and data infrastructure. Finally, we discuss our experience with ehive in the broader context of the current landscape of digital health research platforms. Methods The ehive app is a multifaceted and patient-facing central digital research platform that permits the collection of e-consent for digital health studies. An overview of its development, its e-consent process, and the tools it uses for participant recruitment and retention are provided. Data integration with the platform and the infrastructure supporting its operations are discussed; furthermore, a description of its participant- and researcher-facing dashboard interfaces and the e-consent architecture is provided. Results The ehive platform was launched in 2020 and has successfully hosted 8 studies, namely 6 observational studies and 2 clinical trials. Approximately 1484 participants downloaded the app across 36 states in the United States. The use of recruitment methods such as bulk messaging through the EPIC electronic health records and standard email portals enables broad recruitment. Light-touch engagement methods, used in an automated fashion through the platform, maintain high degrees of engagement and retention. The ehive platform demonstrates the successful deployment of a central digital research platform that can be modified across study designs. Conclusions Centralized digital research platforms such as ehive provide a novel tool that allows investigators to expand their research beyond their institution, engage in large-scale longitudinal studies, and combine multimodal data streams. The ehive platform serves as a model for groups seeking to develop similar digital health research programs. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/49204

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